


The Healing Hearts

by jolimelon



Series: Cosmos [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Half-Siblings, M/M, Modern Era, Sequel, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 14:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16160858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jolimelon/pseuds/jolimelon
Summary: Lance, Keith's guardian angel, makes an unexpected appearance on Earth when he announces that he's been given a second chance at life. The only catch: he must heal twenty broken hearts before the end of the year. With Keith's help, the couple are determined to bring Lance back to life.[Although this is technically the sequel to Cosmos Flowers, this story can be enjoyed on its own without needing to read the first!]





	1. Trial On Earth

**Author's Note:**

> Although this is technically the sequel to Cosmos Flowers, this story can be enjoyed on its own without needing to read the first! 
> 
> Anything you'll need to know about what happened before this story will be explained within this sequel. The first chapter will subtly summarize things for those who don't want to read the first cosmos, which I am fully okay with! There is a big genre difference between the two stories. This sequel is significantly lighter and more on the comedic/fluffy side than the first Cosmos, which is more murder-mystery!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance spins the Wheel of Fortune to determine his eternal fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey and welcome to the Healing Hearts! This first chapter is pretty short and just a bit of a scene-setter so we're not introduced to Keith quite yet, but don't worry, he's here next chapter, as well as Shiro and Adam!

Early Autumn was a great season for new beginnings, and as Lance had hoped, a chance to start his life once again.

Two years previously, Lance had died in a car accident with his older sister, Veronica, but from what he knew, she was still alive and well on earth.

Though he had briefly returned to earth a year previously, he had been assigned as the guardian angel of Keith Kogane, and had thus been unable to visit his own family.

But things would soon change, or so he hoped, anyway.

After his yearly guardian angel contract had expired, Lance was given two choices: Sign it again for another year, or spin the wheel of fortune to determine a greater fate for himself. Originally, he was going to opt for the guardian angel gig again, until he heard about what opportunities the wheel of fortune would allow him.

The Wheel of Fortune was a representation of potential fates that guardian angels could face after opting out of their contracts. On one side of the wheel was Eternal Damnation, which was mostly only spun by those who had abused their powers as angels. Lance was hoping for a kinder option for himself, those of which included things like Reincarnation, a Full Angel Position, and the rarest of all- Return To Earth.

The chances of Return To Earth being spun were extremely rare, and practically impossible. However, it was a heavily desired position. If landed on, the spinner would be given the rare chance to prove that they were worthy of resuming their previous life on earth.

Lance was unsure of how many people were left to spin the wheel ahead of him. An extremely tall man stood in front of him, and each time he took a step to the side to see the rest of the line, the man would take a step as well.

Lance groaned impatiently, turning to face the elderly woman, Marjorie, behind him. She was a petite old lady, with a ginger dyed perm, and pink glasses on a silver chain.

"Can you believe how tall this guy is?" Lance whispered. "Think he died cause he smashed his head too hard off the ceiling?"

Marjorie leaned forward, "What dear? You need to speak up." 

Lance groaned again. "Nevermind." 

"What's never yours, dear?"

Lance sighed in defeat. "The front of this line, apparently."

Marjorie gave the boy a smack with her purse. "Oh, be patient or else you'll land on eternal damnation for that poor attitude."

"Yeah, sorry I'm just really eager to see if I can get back on earth or not." Lance stated. 

"I wouldn't get your hopes up. Aim for something more realistic like reincarnation. My husband always said he'd come back as a beautiful butterfly and I intend to do the same." Marjorie explained, a fond smile on her face. 

"Uh, yeah, that's beautiful and all, Marge, but like I wanna see my family and stuff again." 

"What did I say about that greedy attitude?" Marjorie said, smacking him with her purse once again.

"Damn, grams, you're out for blood. I don't think I'm the one going to hell, frankly."

Much to Lance's surprise, Marjorie laughed loudly. "I'm only trying to stop you from getting your hopes up. Even if you land on Return To Earth, you'd have to go through a long trial and the chances of winning that are slimmer than slim."

Lance's posture sunk slightly, knowing all too well that it was true. "I know I just really want to see my family again. I've been dead for two years now and I haven't even been able to watch over them or anything. Plus I have this really great almost-boyfriend. We made good progress but we didn't get the chance to reeeeaally start dating."

"Almost? Dear either you're going steady or you're not." 

"It's complicated, Marge!" Lance groaned. "Uh, well, basically his name is Keith, and we were friends when we were really little kids. But he and his dad were attacked when he was nine, and his dad ended up dying, so he pulled away from all his friends and started to keep to himself. Fast forward to ten years later and the spirit of the dude that killed his dad came back to try and kill Keith too, but I was assigned as his guardian angel and it was really scary and stuff but we finally got rid of that guy for good. During it, y'know, we ended up kinda getting feelings for each other or whatever. We kissed a couple of times but I had to leave before we could really start something. So I can't really say he's my boyfriend cause I don't know if he's cool with that or if he's moved on..."

Marjorie was silent for a moment, before coolly responding, "My, sounds to me like a dilemma."

"Yeah. So if I could meet him again at least... We'd be able to talk about things. Even if it is nothing, I'll just be happy to see him again." 

Marjorie gave Lance another shove with her purse, but before Lance could question why, she said, "As charming as this talk is, it's your turn dear. Don't keep us all waiting for eternity."

Lance quickly turned around to realize that the tall man in front of him was now gone, and in his place was the Wheel of Fortune. He pumped his fist into the air in excitement, and hopped in front of the wheel.

"Alright, Lancey is feel l-u-c-k-y today!" he exclaimed, taking a hold of the wheel, and then, with all the force he could muster, he brought his hands down, sending the wheel off into a rapid spin. His heart raced in anticipation as it continued to spin, and spin, and spin. After a long moment, it finally began to slow down. He crossed his fingers.

_Come on, Return to Earth, come on, come on, come on!_

The wheel began to come to a slow halt, the clicker wobbling between Eternal Damnation and Return to Earth. Lance held in a scream, unsure if he could handle the anxiety building up inside of him. Eventually, after what had felt like forever, it landed on Return to Earth.

Loud bells began to chime, and he was presented with a sash and crown from two women that had appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

"Congratulations, Lance McClain! You are eligible for a trial to return to life on earth! Do you accept this trial?" A loud commentator-type voice blared out.

Lance, unsure of where to look, began glancing all around him. "Uh-- Yeah, yeah I am! I'm gonna beat this trial into the ground!" he quickly added, "Uh, respectfully, of course!"

"Alright, Lance! Please exit to your left where you will be shown to the office of Bob!"

Lance jumped in excitement, rushing toward the left side of the Wheel of Fortune.

"Suck on that, Marge!" Lance yelled jokingly. "Enjoy being a butterfly, I'm gonna be ME again!"

* * *

After being shown into the office of Bob, Lance burst through the door in an excited rush. Much to his surprise, the one named 'Bob' had a very petite, alien-like appearance. He stared in surprise, before shaking himself out of it. "Hey, I'm Lance McClain, the dude that struck that super-rare-once-in-an-afterlife-chance spin."

"Have a seat, Lance." Bob said, his voice surprising human.

Lance didn't hesitate to listen as he pulled out the chair opposite Bob's desk and sat down.

"Congratulations on your lucky spin! This is the very first time it's happened this century!" Bob exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

"For real?! That's awesome!" Lance exclaimed, also clapping his hands. 

"I just have some assistants printing out the pages of the contract that I'll need you to sign but in the meantime, we should go over some basic ground rules that apply to all trials." 

Lance raised an eyebrow. "Aren't all the trials supposed to be different?" 

"Yes, yes they certainly are, but some basics remain consistent for each one." Bob explained.

"Oh, okay, gotcha, lay it on me then."

"Well," Bob began, "We'll get the hardest one out of the way first. Nobody on trial is allowed to see their families until they've succeeded in completing their mission on earth." 

Lance's excited expression quickly faded. "Wait, I won't be able to see them?" 

"Not unless you succeed, no." 

Lance casually waved a hand. "I'm not worried then. I'm gonna succeed so hard." 

Bob laughed loudly, "There's that dumb confidence we never get tired of seeing!"

Lance had begun to laugh as well, but quickly halted. "Wait, what?"

"The next rule is that you'll only be allowed to live in the space that we allot you." Bob resumed his serious tone.

"Huh?" Lance rubbed his chin in thought. "That's weird but, okay. Where am I gonna be staying?"

"It seems like you've been assigned to an abandoned schoolhouse. Proper living arrangements will be made for you within the building, and nobody will be disturbing you during your time there."

"Sounds creepy but alright, alright." Lance nodded his head along. "Hey, like, hypothetically speaking, if I had like a girlfriend or like, this is so crazy but, a boyfriend or something, would I be able to see him- or her, at least?"

"I don't see why not. No rules forbid it." Bob stated.

"Alright!" Lance exclaimed, pumping his fist. "That is _hypothetically_ awesome!"

Bob rolled his eyes, "Lance, we know everything about you. We know about Keith."

"Oh," Lance said, "So, uh, any other ground rules or are we good to go?"

"The rest of the rules will depend on what your trial is, exactly. It should be prepared at any moment now."

As if on cue, a woman entered the office and handed Bob a small stack of papers. He thanked her, and quickly sent her off.

"Lets see... The Trial of Lance McClain," Bob said, and then he quietly spent a few minutes reading over the pages.

Lance nervously watched for a change in expression, but there never was one. Eventually, Bob turned the page around to face Lance, and allowed him to read it on his own.

* * *

### The Trial of Lance McClain

 **Mission on Earth:** Lance has been assigned with the mission of healing twenty broken hearts on earth. The owners of these broken hearts will be determined based on location, and timing. Each time an assigned heart has been healed, another one will be assigned in it's place, until the mission has been completed.  
**Duration of Trial:** Lance has until the end of the current year to complete his mission.  
**Location of stay:** Lance will be staying in a vacant schoolhouse located in the town of Cosmos.  
**If Succeeded:** If the mission is a success, Lance will be allowed to resume his life on Earth, at the age in which he would be had he not died. (In this case, age twenty.)  
**If Failed:** If this mission is a failure, Lance will face Eternal Damnation.

 **Special Details:** Lance will become visible to most humans, some exceptions apply. It is determined on a case-by-case basis. However, Lance will be visible to all non-humans, including both spirits, and animals.

* * *

"So I just have to heal a couple of broken hearts?" Lance asked, feeling pretty confident.

"Before the end of the year, yes." Bob answered. "It's currently October sixth on Earth."

"That's plenty of time!" Lance exclaimed, slapping the contract on the desk. "Where do I sign?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are liking this so far! I hope it set the scene well! Let me know what you're thinking in the comments, and thanks for reading this far!


	2. Pollux Street

Once the contract had been signed, Lance’s trial on Earth had officially begun. 

Immediately, he was sent to his temporary living space- an abandoned elementary school on the corner of town. He had no idea why that was the space that he’d been allotted, and though he knew that it was likely because nobody frequented it, he couldn’t help questioning why there was no better private space left in town. 

But he took what he could get. What mattered the most was that he was back on earth, he had the simplest sounding task, and he would soon be able to see his friends and family, and resume his life as if nothing had ever happened. 

Upon entering the abandoned schoolhouse, Lance had been surprised by how tidy it appeared to be. He had expected cobwebs and dust, but was pleasantly greeted by cleanliness and a fresh aroma.

The first classroom was re-assembled to resemble his old bedroom, with every last detail from the same posters on the wall, to the same dis-organized dresser drawers. 

On the night-stand was a framed photograph of Lance and his twin sister, Rachel. In the photo, they were about fifteen years old, and Lance had kept it framed ever since. He had often joked that it was because he looked so ‘impossibly handsome’, but in reality, it was because it was a fond memory he had with Rachel, and seeing the photograph always brought a smile to his face. 

Sitting down on the bed, Lance glanced around the room, feeling a bittersweet sense at the memories it brought back. 

It was strange, to say the least, to be in a replica of his bedroom, and unable to see the rest of his family. 

He had often gotten irritated when the other members of his family would burst through the door of his room without knocking first, but he wanted, more than anything, for it to happen again, right at that moment. 

But no matter how much he stared at the door, he knew it wouldn’t happen. 

Not yet. 

He had a mission to complete first. 

Lance began to tour the rest of the schoolhouse to get his mind off of things.

In the second classroom, he found that it had been rearranged to resemble a family dining room. He wasn’t sure what he’d ever need to use one for, but he appreciated the attempt to make the schoolhouse feel like home regardless. 

The third classroom looked like the living room at his grandparents house, and even had the same nostalgic scent to it. 

He hesitated a moment when leaving the room, stopping to inhale the air, hold it, and slowly exhale. 

The fourth, and final, classroom was… surprisingly, just set up to resemble a classroom. He walked into the room with curiosity, and found that the teachers desk had been set up with all of his paperwork, including a personal copy of his contract, and a new paper with his first case written on it. 

**Assignment 1/20.  
The Heart of Keith Kogane. **

Below the headline was a photograph of Keith, likely taken from his personal I.D. 

As he read the sheet, Lance could feel his heart stop, and then begin to race all at once. 

**Assignment:** Repair the broken heart of Keith Kogane.  
**Difficulty Level:** Hard.  
**Location of client:** 1023 Pollux street, Cosmos.  
**Notes:**  
-Kogane’s heart is extremely closed off to others, but it should be noted that this has been a lifelong issue of his.  
-The client has been noted as having a personal connection with the assigned angel. The case will continue regardless. 

Lance read the paper over a few times before he felt that he was content with his knowledge.

He already knew Keith well enough to know that it was in fact true that he had a closed-off heart, but it wasn’t always the case. 

A year previously, Keith had eventually opened his heart up to Lance, and they had shared their mutual feelings with one another. It had been a nice moment but regrettably, Lance’s time on earth had to come to an end, and so, the one person that Keith had opened his heart to had ultimately vanished right after. 

He could easily see why Keith’s heart would be broken, and though he felt sad for the boy, he was confident that his appearance alone would solve the issue at hand. 

The first assignment would be a piece of cake, there was no doubt about it in Lance’s mind. 

After setting his sheet of paper back on the desk, Lance turned around and began to doodle messily on the chalkboard. 

In red chalk, he had drawn a childish looking doodle of Keith smiling happily and surrounded by plump flying hearts. 

Underneath, he wrote, 

_Heart #1 Keith Kogane!!_

_No doubt I’ll heal your broken heart!! Just you wait!!!_

Stepping back, Lance admired his own drawing. It was rough, but he never claimed to be that old pistachio artist, whatever his name was. He didn’t really care.

After placing the chalk back into the sill of the chalkboard, Lance exited the room and re-entered his bedroom. 

He immediately made a beeline for his closet, and upon opening the doors, noted that all of his old favourite clothing had been perfectly replicated. 

He felt like screaming in excitement. It would normally seem like no big deal, but Lance had been stuck in the same old outfit ever since he had died, and he was eager to put on something else. 

He quickly grabbed a favourite outfit of his. He had only worn it a couple of times, since he wanted to save it for special moments. The first time he had worn it was at his twin sister Rachel’s dance recital in the eleventh grade, and the second time he had worn it was on the day he had originally planned to confess to Keith- when they were in their senior year of high school. 

Of course, he never actually confessed his feelings for Keith on that particular day, but his outfit had been too good to let it go to waste. 

The navy blue turtleneck shirt he wore nicely complimented his eyes, and it was perfectly paired with a dark brown jacket, and light brown pants. 

“Yup,” Lance mumbled, admiring himself in the mirror. “Still super smokin’.”

* * *

Once he had left the schoolhouse, Lance began to make his way towards Pollux Street where Keith’s new house was located. 

Pollux street was the main street in the town of Comos, and if followed North, eventually it would lead as far as the city without a single turn on the way there. 

Unfortunately, Pollux street had been home to many car crashes, including the one that Lance had died in.

As he walked down the street, Lance was careful to steady his breathing and keep his thoughts positive. He tried thinking of a million other things- his family, his friends, Keith. 

When he thought of Keith, he tried as hard as he could to remember the shy, vague nature of his smile. What a rare and fleeting sight it was yet so beautiful- like a rainbow. 

Soon, he would see it once more, no longer would he need to rely on memory. His heart would be full again.

Not being able to see his family would be difficult but Lance knew that if he could have Keith by his side in the meantime, then it would all be worth it. 

Lance’s positive thoughts did wonders to get his mind off of things- but not for long. As the wind began to pick up just slightly, Lance turned his gaze upward and that’s when his eyes fell upon it. 

A tree at the side of the street had a large, framed photo nailed to it’s center, and was surrounding by flowers and all sorts of decor. 

Lance had seen these types of streetside memorials before, but he never thought too much about them. Of course they were sad, but he had never known the person and so it didn’t weigh on him all that much. 

But as he stared upon the photo, he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. 

It was himself. 

His graduation photo, which had been taken only days before his death.

Lance unconsciously found himself walking toward the memorial, his eyes peeled to the picture. 

He had never gotten the chance to see the photo himself. It had likely arrived a month or so after he had died, which couldn’t have been a great reminder for his family. 

His legs stomped through the tall grass messily until he had finally made his way to the tree. 

The picture frame was a tad weathered from being outdoors, but it appeared to have been kept maintained over the years. 

Beneath the photo was a bundle of cosmos flowers. They were wrapped in blue paper, and had a pleasant aroma. They were still fairly fresh. 

There wasn’t a card or even a simple note, so Lance couldn’t be sure who had left them there. 

He brought the flowers closer to his nose and then deeply inhaled their fresh scent. 

No matter who it was, somebody had recently been thinking about him. Somebody who didn’t know he’d ever be there to see it. Somebody who, logically, had no reason to think that Lance would ever hold the flowers close to his chest, his eyes brimming with tears, as the gravity of lost time weighed upon him. 

Only then was it really occurring to him- though the thought had always been in the back of his mind- that an entire two years on earth had gone by without him. 

Two years was simultaneously a long time, and no time at all. 

It was long enough that his death had been accepted, but fresh enough that he was still thought of.

If he’d been in the presence of another person, Lance would’ve quickly laughed it off, saying something along the lines of, “Of course people remember me. Why wouldn’t they?” 

But since he was alone he allowed himself to cry in sweet relief that he was still loved and thought of, the opposite having been a deep seated fear within him.

After calming down, Lance wiped the tears away from his cheeks, and held his flowers tightly in his hands as he continued onward with his walk. 

His determination had returned, perhaps more fiercely than before, and this time nothing would get in his way.

* * *

Upon arrival at 1023 Pollux Street, Lance had been eager to rush up the path leading to the front door and knock on it excitedly. 

Unfortunately for him, there was no response. Even after he waited, and waited, and waited, there was no response. 

Eventually, Lance concluded that nobody was home, and that he would have to either wait, or go out searching. 

Given his impatience, Lance opted for the latter of the two. 

He delicately placed his bundle of flowers on the porch of the house and set out once again down the path. 

He avoided Pollux Street this time, and instead went down a busier street with more businesses. If nobody was at the house, then there was a good chance that they were still within a building in town. 

Searching through town was more unsettling than he had imagined. A lot had changed in only two years.

Many buildings and businesses had been shut down after a large storm the previous year, and just as many brand new places had been suddenly popped up. The general layout of the town hadn’t changed much, which was a slight comfort. 

Still, after some hours of searching, Lance was unsuccessful in finding anybody that he knew. 

He took a seat on a bench at the corner of the town park, and gave himself a few moments to sit quietly in thought. 

Maybe Keith had gone out for the night. He was twenty years old, after all. The key age for socialization and partying. But Lance knew that was far too much of a stretch. 

It was more likely that Keith had classes, or a new daytime job, but of course he couldn’t help but wonder,

_What if he moved on to somebody else?_

_Maybe his confession to me was just something he felt in the moment, but realized wasn’t true after he had more time to think about it._

_His heart is broken, but my lack of presence can’t be the cause of it, can it?_

_I haven’t seen him in over a year._

Lance felt his body slumping lazily into the park bench as he felt the waves of negativity taking over his mind.

_Is it stupid of me to think that he’s still in love with me after all this time?_

_Am I stupid for still being in love with him after all this time?_

_No, no. Of course it’s not stupid._

_We had something good going on. He’s just been busy for a few hours, dumbass, he doesn’t even know you’re back in town._

_What’re you getting all mope-y for? Snap out of it, man._

As Lance internally fought his own thoughts, he mindlessly watched the children on the playground having an argument with each other. Whatever it was about, they were all very deep into it, finger wags and all. 

He recalled when he and Keith were kids, before they had first lost contact with each other. They had often argued, and about stupid things, too. But the end of the day, they were as close as friends could be. 

After the death of Keith’s father, the boy had grown distant to his friends, and eventually, no longer spoke to them. 

At the time, Lance had thought he was annoyed at Keith for it, but as he grew older, he realized he had just been sad to lose him. 

It wasn’t until high school that the two briefly reunited for a night, and felt a certain spark after kissing each other during a game of spin the bottle. 

Things hadn’t ended well that time either, though. Keith was quick to pull away and wanted to pretend as if it had never happened, and though it hurt, Lance respected his feelings. 

Nobody could have guessed that Lance would become Keith’s guardian angel a year after his death. 

After reuniting, Lance and Keith were finally able to admit their mutual feelings for each other and things finally felt right. 

But, of course, as fate would have it, nothing gold could stay, and Lance had to leave Earth for another year. 

And so, it led him to the present day, stewing in a cloud of gloom on a park bench as he watched children arguing with each other. 

Few raindrops fell from the clouds above that were now bundling together. Though the sun was otherwise shining, the drops continued in a slow, steady pattern for some time. 

The children had quickly taken notice as well, and their fighting immediately ceased. They rushed off to the side of the park, grabbing their bicycles and helmets in a hurry before riding off. 

Lance took it as his cue to leave as well, and stood from the park bench. 

He sighed, and looked up from the ground, his eyes landing on a man that had just walked through the park entrance by himself. In his hands, he carried a bouquet of flowers that Lance instantly recognized. 

Cosmos flowers wrapped in baby blue paper. 

Lance froze in place just as the man stopped walking, the two staring at each other with equal intensity.

There was no doubt about it. 

The fingerless gloves, the thick shiny, long black hair, and the tall, strong figure that only bettered with age.

It was Keith. 

“L…Lance?” Keith called out, his voice cracking with disbelief. 

“Keith! Hey!” Lance responded.

The two made a starting run at each other and met in the middle with such impact that they both struggled to keep their footing. 

Lance tightly wrapped his arms around Keith’s shoulders, and Keith, who had dropped the flowers in the excitement, snugly held onto Lance’s back. 

They were pressed cheek-to-cheek as they both caught their breath, faint clouds of cool air forming from their mouths. 

“You’re… You’re back?” Keith asked, pulling his face away to catch a better glimpse of the other boy. “Is there some impending doom I should be worried about?” 

Lance shook his head and laughed. “No, you’ll be okay. I won a sort of, uh, angel lottery thing? It’s hard to explain but I’m back for awhile-maybe even for good.” 

Keith froze, his heart skipping a beat. “Really?” 

“Yeah, really,” Lance smiled. 

“How…” Keith didn’t even know where to begin, both excited and confused, “How is this possible?” 

“I’ll tell you all about it later,” Lance said, cupping Keith’s cheeks in his hands. “I missed you, dummy.” 

Keith smiled, pressing the tip of his nose against Lance’s. “I missed you, too.”


	3. The Heart of Keith Kogane

The two had walked, hand-in-hand, down Pollux street, in the direction of the old schoolhouse. 

The leafs on the trees had begun to change colour, creating a vibrant mixture of greens, red, oranges, and yellows. Few fell to the ground with a twirl as the breeze released them from their branches.

Though not many cars had passed by, Lance had noted that each time one did, Keith's grip on his hand would loosen and he would retract it, only returning it once the car had gone fully out of sight. He tried not to let it bother him.

Passing his own memorial again hadn't been as difficult as it had been the first time for Lance. As they had passed it by, he gave it no more than a casual glance, this time no longer feeling so alone and left behind by the world.

Because, at the very least, he could be with the boy that he had loved since he was a teenager.

It didn't take long to arrive to the old schoolhouse where Lance then took Keith into his bedroom, and began to explain to him the details of his contract. They spoke for awhile, but Keith seemed to understand the situation pretty quickly, only having a few questions of his own.

“So you only have until the end of the year?” Keith asked, toying with a rubber ball that was left on Lance’s desk. 

“Yeah, but that’s still over two months to heal only twenty broken hearts.” Lance explained. 

“How many people fail these trials?” 

Lance shrugged, “It doesn’t matter to me cause I won’t be part of that statistic.” 

“How do you know which hearts you have to heal? Or do you get to pick?” 

“I don’t choose, they give me the details on a slip of paper.” 

Keith took a seat at the desk chair, tossing the rubber ball to Lance, who caught it with ease. 

“Has the trial already started?” 

Lance nodded his head, “Yup, it started as soon as I got here.”

"I see."

Things then became quiet, but Lance was eager to change the mood. "Do you want to see the rest of this place?" 

Keith nodded his head, and standing from the desk chair, followed Lance's lead outside of the bedroom, and toward the neighbouring room-- the dining room. 

"It's big." Keith commented, staring at the long table, decorated with a long red table-runner. "Can you even eat now?" 

"Huh. Good question." Lance said, giving it some thought. "I don't really know, I haven't tried yet." 

"It's a nice room."

"You might actually remember the next room," Lance said, taking Keith's hand as he led him to the next room over. "It's modelled just like my grandparents old living room."  

Keith stared at the room in wide-eyed wonder. Everything from the curtains, to the little nick-nacks, and even the scent, was exactly the same. It was as if they had momentarily teleported directly into the house of Lance's grandparents.

"Wow. It looks identical."

"When we were little, I remember you ran over to my house cause your dad and brother were upsetting you," Lance said, a fond smile on his face as he spoke. "So I agreed to run away from home with you and we biked for like, an hour all the way to my grandparents house and spent hours watching old movies on their TV before my parents called in a panic and we both got in so much trouble."

Keith smiled vaguely, "I can't believe you remember that. It was so long ago." 

"Of course, it was a lot of fun. Until we got in trouble, of course." Lance laughed. "I miss my grandparents house. It's so small and cozy."

Keith took a step forward, and gently squeezed Lance's hand, knowing that it was a hard time for him. He changed the subject, in hopes of lightening the mood. "So what's in the last room?" 

"Oh, it's-" Lance began to speak, before quickly remembering the large, embarrassing drawing he'd made of Keith on the chalkboard. He coughed, and shifted his tone to a forcefully causal one, "It's just a boring old classroom, nothing special. Total snore fest, am I right? We did our time in school so no-thank-you-sir. Definitely gonna be avoiding that room from now on."

Keith raised an eyebrow, his lips forming an amused smirk at the corners. "Really? Just a classroom?"

Lance nodded quickly, his casual act far too transparent. "Yeah, yeah, we don't even need to bother going in there." 

"Hmm, alright," Keith commented, slowly exiting the room.

"You're not gonna-" Before Lance could finish his sentence, Keith had made a dash for the next door. Lance hurried after him, and quickly caught up, grabbing him by the waist and holding him back before he could successfully enter the room.

"I know I should've just told you this outright but I..." Lance stated seriously, before his tone raised again, "I saw a huge huge spider in there, man! Better stay away! It looked suuuper pregnant."

"You are the worst liar," Keith laughed, turning around in Lance's arms so that they faced each other. He leaned in, his lips lingering just inches from Lance's, and as the other boy dropped his guard, closing his eyes in anticipation of a kiss, Keith took the chance to quickly break free from his grasp and run into the classroom.

Keith's eyes fell upon the chalkboard almost immediately- the giant lovey drawing of him, followed by a cheesy message plastered beneath it. He stared at it quietly, hardly noticing as Lance barged into the room behind him and groaned out loud. 

"That's uh-" Lance attempted to explain himself but the words got lost along the way.

Keith didn't reply. He only took a few steps forward, his eyes glued to the chalkboard, with no notable expression on his face.

"Just..... spare me. Make fun of me already, please," Lance groaned, sitting with his head down at one of the student desks. "This anticipation is killing me." 

"Am... **I** the first heart that you're supposed to heal?" Keith finally spoke. 

"Uh..." Lance raised his head from the desk, and for a moment, he worried that Keith was angry. "Yeah... Yeah, you are."

Keith was quiet again, and Lance stood up, walking past him to the front desk, where he then grabbed the file for Keith's heart and handed it to him. "I just got it earlier today, but here it is."

The two stared at the page for a moment, a new addition was slowly revealing itself at the top of the page. Each letter typed out individually, as if they were watching it being written on a screen. It said:

**Status:** Pending...

After another few seconds, the word 'pending' disappeared and a new status was typed out in it's place.

**Status:** Incomplete.

Lance furrowed his eyebrows, glancing between the page and Keith before eventually settling on staring at the paper.

For whatever reason, Keith's heart was in need of healing. But as Lance had guessed, just showing up wasn't enough to complete the task. Though he loved Keith, he knew that things could never be that simple or straight-forward. And yet, somehow, seeing it written on paper still hurt.

Keith smacked the paper down on the desk, and Lance couldn't be sure if he was annoyed or not. He stared at Lance briefly, and then, reaching forward to cup his cheek, he leaned in and unexpectedly pressed their lips together.

It had been their first kiss in over a year, and though Lance had so desperately wanted to kiss Keith on-sight at the park, he had waited respectfully for the other boy to make the first move instead, in case his feelings had changed over time. But as Keith gently cradled his cheek, his free arm holding him gently at the waist, Lance felt as if nothing had changed at all.

Keith pulled away, and smiling at Lance, he said, "The drawing is cute."

Lance laughed, his worries instantly easing away while he looked upon the reassuring expression on Keith's pretty face. "Yeah? Thanks."

Unable to resist for much longer, Lance leaned back in, his arms wrapping around Keith's shoulders as they resumed kissing once more. With the sun setting just outside the classroom windows, the two were cast in a gentle golden hue as they continued to kiss for some time.

* * *

Before the sun could fully set, Keith had asked Lance if he wanted to come over to see his new house, as well as get the chance to see Adam and Takashi again. Lance instantly agree'd, and the two set off. The walk wasn't very long, and the autumn breeze was chilled but pleasant. Many people were out, enjoying the last bits of decent weather for the year, and as a result, Lance and Keith did not hold hands this time.

For the duration of the walk, Lance couldn't get his mind off of the incomplete status on Keith's heart, and what could be causing him heartbreak. He avoided asking outright, knowing it would simply cause the boy to get irritated, and the last thing Lance wanted to do was make things worse. 

Once they arrived to 1023 Pollux Street, Keith unlocked the door with his key, and walked in. Lance, following suit, shut the door behind him. Before they had even entered the house, they had been greeted with a pleasantly delicious aroma, and Lance realized that he was feeling hunger again. Something he hadn't felt since before his death.

"I'm home," Keith said, as he slipped out of his shoes. Lance, once again, followed suit.

The house was much bigger than the one that Keith's family had owned the year before. The living room still had unopened boxes laying around, and not much decor had been placed, since the move had only been recent.

"Welcome home, dinner is almost ready." Takashi greeted, quickly strolling past without sparing a glance. 

Keith and Lance shared an amused look with each other.

"What? You cook now or something? Sounds scary to me." Lance commented with a laugh.

There was silence, and then, Takashi walked back to the door with a confused expression. But when he finally caught a good look at the boys, he broke out into a large, excited grin.

It was only then that Lance was able to get a good look at the man. Takashi still had a thin, pink scar across his nose, and parts of his hair were now snow white, creating a harsh contrast within his otherwise jet-black hair.

Takashi didn't hesitate to pull the boy into a tight embrace. "Lance, no way!" he exclaimed, and then, facing the kitchen, he yelled out, "Honey, come see this!"

Still dressed in an apron, and with a wooden spoon in his hand, Adam had quickly glanced outside the kitchen, his jaw instantly dropping open. "Lance?! How-- When--" he stumbled over his words in surprise. He pulled off his apron and set down the wooden spoon before he also hugged the boy. 

"I just got back on earth today," Lance explained. "It's kind of a long story."

* * *

After Adam had finished preparing dinner, he served up four plates of spaghetti at the table, and the group began to talk while eating. It was Lance's first time eating since before his death, and he all but devoured the food in an instant, having not realized just how hungry he had become. It didn't help that Adam's cooking was pleasantly flavourful, and reminded Lance of his own mother's cooking. Adam had been more than happy to offer a second helping to Lance, and this time the boy was sure to pace himself while eating so that he could savour it better.

Lance explained the details of his contract once more, this time careful to run over all of the little details better than he had the first time. He avoided mentioning that his first assigned heart was Keith's, though luckily the question of who it was never came up.

Keith remained in silence during the conversation, the details of which were no news to him. After he finishing eating, he took all of the empty plates to the sink, and began to wash them.

"I hope this isn't rude to ask but," Lance began to speak, his attention towards Takashi, his finger pointed at his head, "Are you dying your hair white slowly or? What's with the new style?"

Takashi didn't seem to take offense, and he just laughed quietly. "I know, white hair at thirty-one is a bit much," he said, and then with a shrug he added, "It's just stress related." 

Instantly, Lance felt a pang of guilt. "Oh... Is everything okay..?" 

"He means from the 'storm' last year," Adam chimed in. "He's been getting white hair ever since. Not to mention how much it cost us all for this new house, and wedding costs, and..." his voice trailed off, insinuating that he could go on and on.

"But they're good stresses. It's all worth it and I'm really happy right now." Takashi stated firmly. With a larger grin, he added, "Adam and I are getting married in December, by the way." 

"Really?!" Lance exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "That soon?!"

Adam and Takashi both gave a short laugh, before Adam cleared his throat and began to explain. "We were going to get married in June next year but my mother is pretty sick and we didn't know if she'd live to see it. I'm her only son so she really wants to be there. 

Lance lowered his hands slowly. "Oh... I'm so sorry."

Adam smiled meekly. "Thank you." 

Takashi placed a firm, supportive hand on Adam's thigh, "But she'll be able to be there this way, and it'll be great. She's an amazing woman. You'll adore her when you meet her, Lance."

Adam quietly nodded his head, and adjusted his glasses. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to give Keith a hand with those dishes."

After Adam had left the table, things became quiet for a moment before Lance broke the silence.

"I didn't realize you guys were still going through such hard stuff. Life just keeps throwing them at ya, huh?"

"Yeah, it hasn't been easy, but we're all doing our best." Takashi said, "We're all here together. We've got a beautiful home, and a great family. So it's looking up."

Lance smiled. "That's a good way to look at it."

"It's the only way, really, otherwise we'd all go mad." Takashi stated. "So how're things with you? You must be really excited to be back here."

"I am!" Lance exclaimed, grinning. "Once I'm done the trial, I can finally go home again."

"I'm excited for you, and if you need anything in the meantime, just let me know." Takashi said, and then, suddenly recalling, he added, "I did see your older brother Marco at the store the other day."

"Really? How was he?" Lance asked. It was the first he'd heard of his family, and he had no way of learning any more about them.

"We didn't talk much, other than a 'hi' but it's the first time I've seen any of your family out and about for awhile." Takashi explained.

Lance remained quiet at this, sadly knowing he couldn't learn much else, though of course he didn't put Takashi to blame. His family had always been so outgoing, and large, that classmates and teachers would often joke that they couldn't go anywhere without bumping into a McClain.

But if they were staying under the radar, then Lance knew it was cause for worry. If there was something stressful or sad going on in his family, he'd hate to think of any of them suffering or feeling alone. He was usually the one to make the mood light, so how much did things change without him? He had no way of knowing.

"You okay?" Takashi's voice had snapped Lance back to reality, and the boy nodded his head.

Keith and Adam remained out of ear shot while they washed the dishes, so Lance took it as his chance to lean in and start whispering. "Actually, can I ask you something?"

Takashi took it as a cue to lean in as well. "Sure, what is it?"

"Is everything okay with Keith? He seems a little... off sometimes." Lance explained. "I don't really know how to explain it."

"Hm..." Takashi hummed in thought. "Well, he's been gone from the house a lot lately, but he just got a new job, so I figured he's just been picking up a lot of shifts. Maybe he's just tired."

"But how would work break his heart?" Lance asked, and then catching his mistake, he added, "Okay, forgot to mention, by the way, he's the first heart I have to heal. Also, don't tell him I told you that."

"Oh, now that makes a difference." Takashi said. "I honestly don't know. I feel bad for not noticing anything now."

"You guys have a lot going on so it's no surprise. Plus he's always so hidden away about his feelings and stuff."

"Have you tried just asking him if anything is wrong?"

Lance remained quiet. 

"So you didn't."

"Okay, maybe not outright like that, but.... y'know," Lance mumbled, unable to think of an excuse. "I'm worried he'll get annoyed if I ask."

"Maybe, or maybe he'll confide in you." Takashi said, "If you're planning to heal hearts then you need to remember how important communication is, Lance. Words are as powerful as actions, sometimes more so."

"Yeah... You're right. I'll just ask him and see what happens then."

"I'm glad you're looking out for him, Lance, I really am. I always worried about him- I still do- with how much he keeps to himself. And it's great that he can be open with Adam and I, but he needs to be around people his own age, too. If there's something that he's not telling even us then maybe that's just what he needs right now."

Lance nodded his head, feeling overcome with a new wave of fresh resolve. "I'll get to the bottom of it immediately!" he said, giving a mock salute.

With a laugh, Takashi returned the gesture. "How about this? I'll take over helping Adam clean up, and you can go have a private talk with Keith."

"Yeah, yeah, that's perfect! Good idea!" Lance said, "Thanks, Shiro."

"Anytime," Takashi replied, standing from his seat. "And good luck."

* * *

After Takashi had dismissed Keith from helping with tidy-up, Lance had casually asked the boy if he wanted to go on a walk around the neighbourhood with him. Keith had agreed, and after he grabbed a suitable jacket for an autumn night, the two left the house together, and began their journey around the block.

They spoke for awhile about different things, ranging from Keith's new job, to Lance's time waiting to spin the Wheel of Fortune.

Keith's new job was at a community center/library. It was a mix of the two, and his job was also a mix of various things. He did some re-stocking, some cleaning, some cashier work, a bit of it all. He didn't mind the new job. It was fairly quiet, and there was hardly anybody around during the day due to kids being in school, and adults being at work. He liked the quietness, and the job didn't particularly stress him out.

And so, Lance concluded. The issue wasn't job related.

"How's school going? I remember you mentioning it a few times last year." Lance said.

They continued walking down the streets, the only light emitting from the lamp posts above. The streets were fairly deserted, aside from the occasional car or two.

"I dropped out," Keith replied. "After the storm last year, I just didn't bother going back."

"Oh, really? Do you think you'll ever enroll again?"

Keith shook his head, "I didn't really want to go to college in the first place."

And so, Lance concluded. The issue wasn't school related.

The two cut through a wooded area to get to the local park again. Nobody else was around, but when Lance inched for Keith's hand, Keith was quick to slide his hands into his pockets. Lance lowered his hands slowly back to his side, the cold air feeling a tad more bitter somehow.

"Can I ask you some kind of personal stuff?" Lance asked, stopping in his tracks.

Keith stopped walking as well, turning to cast his gaze at Lance. "What?"

"Is everything okay? You seem sort of off."

Turning fully towards Lance, Keith asked, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, just... off," Lance said, not sure how to explain it, "If something's bugging you, do you wanna, maybe, I dunno, talk about it?"

"Nothing is bothering me, Lance," Keith replied.

This is the part where, Lance being Lance, would usually let things drop and attempt to make a quick quip to ease the tension. But Lance couldn't afford to just let things drop. He had a lot at stake, and Keith's happiness and comfort was a huge priority for him as well.

"I feel like you don't communicate with me enough," Lance said, his tone soft and slightly shaky. He wasn't the best at phrasing himself during serious moments, but he was trying. "And I don't know how to help you if I don't know what's wrong."

"Is this about the heart thing?" Keith asked. "Why don't you just ask for a reassignment?"

"What? Why would I?"

"Because I don't want to be a part of this. I don't want you to feel like you have to fix me, when I don't even know how to deal with myself half the time."

"I'm not doing it just because of some assignment," Lance said, taking a step forward. "I really genuinely just want to help you."

"I **don't need** help." Keith grumbled defensively.

"I'm not trying to annoy you, but something is clearly bothering you, Keith."

"Can you just drop this?" Keith snapped quickly.

"Why can't we just talk about this?" Lance yelled back. "Why do you have to get so mad at me for asking a simple question?"

"Do you even know how it sounds when you come around telling me that there's something wrong and that I need help when I can't even figure out why I would?" Keith shook his head as he spoke, "No, you don't. I know I have issues- life long ones, but there's nothing any of us can do about any of that. I just have to live with it like I always have. I was excited to see you, obviously, but this whole assignment is ridiculous. You're not a therapist, you can't just expect to come around and say some shit and fix all of the problems that I've always had."

Keith stopped to catch his breath after lashing out, and Lance felt himself become completely dejected by his words. He felt that it was true on a deeper level, and that he'd been silly for ever thinking otherwise. Yet, even so, hearing it lashed out at him from his loved one was particularly hurtful.

Lance quietly nodded his head, and they continued to walk in silence, both preoccupied by thoughts of their own. Eventually, they arrived at the old schoolhouse, and Lance realized that Keith had walked him home, likely not wanting to deal with him anymore. His bit on his lip, his eyes brimming with tears of defeat, and he no longer knew what to say or do. But before he could come to a plan of action, Keith had taken him by the hand, and locked their fingers together snugly.

"I'm sorry, Lance, I shouldn't have snapped at you," Keith said, "I just don't know what the problem with me is. I guess I have been off lately. I don't get why, though... which is why I'm not sure how anybody else could ever help."

"It's okay," Lance replied, rubbing the pad of his thumb against Keith's hand. "I just don't like seeing you down."

"It's not okay," Keith said, "I was a jerk to you."

"Yeah, you were, but I forgive you," Lance said. "If anybody knows how steel tight the gate around your heart is, it's me.

Keith smiled, and leaned inward, kissing Lance softly. "I have the day off tomorrow, maybe we can figure out something then?"

"You're willing to let me help you?" Lance asked, eyebrows raised.

Keith jokingly rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to let you go to hell, obviously."

Lance laughed, mostly out of relief. Though it was a first baby step, at the least, Keith was letting him in again.

* * *

The next day, the two met in the early morning when Keith arrived to the schoolhouse. He brought a basket of muffins with him, that had been made by Adam, and were promptly inhaled by Lance.

Lance hadn't slept much for the entire duration of the night. He couldn't. He thought over all the possible scenarios that would play out the next day, but they all ended the same way: unsuccessfully.

The truth was that Lance couldn't help Keith in the way that he wanted to. Though he loved him and would always be there to support him, there was also something about Keith's rant that had stuck out to him.

He wasn't a therapist. He wasn't a specialist. It was true. And so, he did the next best thing that he could, and he spent the night researching local therapists in the area that might be able to help Keith get to the root of his troubles, and help him work some of his deeper issues out- things that Lance just couldn't help with.

Maybe it wouldn't qualify as healing Keith's heart since he didn't do it himself, but Lance didn't care about that. Even if it cost him his entire mission on earth, he'd be happy just knowing that he could help out the boy that he loved in some way.

And he, finally, was very confident that he was about to accomplish just that.

After he had finished devouring the muffins, Lance patted the empty spot on the bed beside him, signalling for Keith to take a seat, to which he complied.

"So I'm about to say a lot of stuff, but bare with me, cause I think I have a solution" Lance said.

"Go ahead."

"I know your heart needs healing but... I don't think I'm the one to do it," Lance began, causing Keith to furrow his eyebrows.

"Wait, what?" Keith questioned.

"I'm not done yet, I said I had a lot to say," Lance said with a laugh. "I'll support you all the way, and I'll be there when you need me, and I'll even be there when you don't need me just 'cause I'm annoying and clingy like that. But... I think this is out of both of our hands, and it's best to leave it to a professional. I found this therapist that is also a supernatural specialist, and it wasn't even a craigslist ad or anything so it's like, the real deal. You can tell her about everything that you've gone through over the years, and you don't have to worry about her not believing you. You can be totally honest about everything, and she'll be able to give you good help." 

Lance took a breath, but continued to speak,

"I got off the phone with her right before you arrived, and when I mentioned that we knew Allura and Coran, she even said that she could do the sessions for free. Apparently, they're all really good friends. So double boo-yah, right?" Lance laughed a bit. "And don't think that getting help is a bad thing, Keith. You've had these unresolved troubles for so many years, and talking to someone can really help you figure some of it out."

Keith remained in thoughtful silence, giving deep contemplation to Lance's words.

"If you like it then, cool, I'll be there waiting for you after each session. And if you hate it, then, uh, I'll let that old hag have it, and then demand to talk to her manager... who I think, maybe, is probably God. But, uh, yeah, I'll fight God for you. That's fine."

"I'll do it," Keith agreed quite easily, smiling at Lance. "I don't think it's a bad idea, but are you sure? You won't fail your mission because of this, will you?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Lance answered, "But your well being- mental and physical- is my priority, not some assignment. That's my duty as your guardian angel."

Keith raised his hand and brushed it softly against Lance's cheek. "I don't deserve you, Lance McClain."

"Sure you do," Lance countered, with a laugh. "I made an appointment for you this afternoon, actually. Glad you agreed 'cause cancelling that would've been super awkward after bragging about how dead I was. Also, it turns out that supernatural therapists don't get too much traffic so I don't wanna ruin her day, y'know?"

"I'm not surprised," Keith said, with a laugh. "How much time do we have left until then?"

"A few hours," Lance said, "So we can still hang around for a bit." 

* * *

In the hours of the early afternoon, Keith and Lance had made their way over to the office of Melenor Fala, who only upon meeting her face-to-face did the two realize wasn't simply a friend of Allura- she was her mother. The woman's appearance was practically identical to her daughters, only more matured through age and experience. She was extremely friendly, and spoke with such softness in her voice that it was easy to feel completely soothed within moments of meeting her.

Lance waited patiently outside during Keith's session with her, which had lasted around an hour in length. It had felt much longer somehow, as Lance let his mind anxiously dance around, thinking about all of the possible poor outcomes. He worried about Keith hating it, or it making things worse for him, or maybe a demon would suddenly appear and wreak havoc, he didn't know. It all seemed very possible, and very scary. Regardless, he had no choice but to wait.

When the hour came to a close, Keith exited Melenor's office with a polite bow. The woman smiled back and said something that Lance couldn't quite hear, but he could see that Keith had nodded in agreement. Then, Keith turned around and approached Lance, his hand extended outward. Lance stared at it blankly for a second before he held onto it, and Keith linked their fingers together tightly.

Keith led him down the hallway of the building, and out the front door, and then down the street, until eventually Lance caved and spoke up. "So, how'd it go? What's with the rush?"

"Don't worry, you don't have to fight God," Keith said, "I'll tell you all about it when we get back to your place."

Lance couldn't help but laugh at his eager attitude, but he went along with it regardless. They arrived back to the schoolhouse shortly after, and entered Lance's bedroom.

"So it went well?" Lance asked, taking a seat on his bed. Again, he patted down beside him to signal for Keith to take a seat, but this time Keith took a more direct approach and sat behind the boy, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Yeah, I think it'll take awhile to really make progress but I did learn something interesting today. Something about me and you."

Lance pressed the back of his head against Keith's shoulder and glanced upwards, "And what's that?"

"The reason I'm so hot and cold with you especially," Keith began to explain, his grip on Lance's tightening just slightly, "is because, on some subconscious level, I'm scared of losing you again."

"Oh..?"

"It's never your fault- but every time you come into my life, for some reason or another, you have to go in the end. So, in some subconscious way, my brain is trying to protect me from the pain of losing you all over again each time."

"It won't be like that this time," Lance said, holding his hand against Keith's, "I'm not going anywhere anymore."

Keith rested his face in the nook between Lance's neck and shoulder and quietly took long breaths. "I know you won't, because I'm going to do whatever I can to help you pass this trial."

Lance smiled, mindlessly twirling a strand of Keith's hair with his fingertip. "Thanks, Keith."

"The therapist told me that we should take things slowly between us," Keith continued to explain, "So that we can see if we still feel in love with each other in these non-life-threatening situations."

"That seems fair," Lance said, his twirling stopping for a second before resuming. "It sounds like a good idea."

"You're okay with that?" Keith asked.

"Of course," Lance replied. He was never positive where he and Keith stood anyway- though they kissed, held hands, and did other romantic gestures together, they had never actually referred to each other as their boyfriends or anything. So he never knew what to refer to Keith as. "A slow ride with you sounds fine by me."

"Thanks, Lance, you were a big help today."

There was a loud ping suddenly.

Lance sat up and moved away from Keith, the noise having come from the space between them. In front of the Keith's chest was a bright, glowing blue light, and in the center, a gem shaped like a small pink heart was twirling in place. Lance hesitantly reached forward, poking the heart with his finger. Instantly, upon touch, the heart burst into a pile of confetti, and a note emerged from it's center.

Lance held the note in his hand, and began to read it. It said:

**Sometimes the best way to help someone isn't to help them at all, but rather to guide them in the direction of help.**

Congratulations, Lance McClain. You have completed your first assignment.

The heart of Keith Kogane is healing.

**Nineteen Hearts Remain.**


	4. The Heart of Sweetie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna apologize ahead of time- this chapter is a little rough compared to the rest! I was going through a heavy writers block at the time of writing it so please forgive me! I tried my best to power through and this is the result! I hope you like it anyway!

It was around mid-day, and Keith had just finished a short morning shift at work before he had arrived at Lance’s place to learn about their case for the day. 

Lance had warned him ahead of time that the case was unusual, but nothing could have prepared Keith for the confusing brevity of the profile. 

**Assignment 2/20  
** **The Heart of N/A**  
[No photograph]

 **Assignment:** Repair the broken heart of N/A.  
**Difficulty Level:** Easy.  
**Location of client:** Cosmos.  
**Notes:**  
-A recently broken heart.

Lance sat on the bedside, and Keith was on the floor between his legs. In one hand, Lance held Keith’s hair, and in the other, a brush. 

Mindlessly playing with Keith’s thick, long hair could entertain Lance for hours, the gesture both soothing and an aid to clear his mind. Keith didn’t seem to mind his hair being played with either, so long as Lance didn’t get too carried away with styling. 

“I wish I knew how to french braid,” Lance commented, mindlessly. “It’d look cute.” 

“You have more pressing matters to worry about,” Keith said, reading over the assignment paper. Despite how many times he read it, the information remained the same. 

“Yeah, I know,” Lance grumbled. “But how is this one supposed to be easy if there isn’t even a name or picture?” 

“The lack of picture is probably because they don’t have photo I.D, so maybe they’re a minor. But even then, the lack of name makes no sense.” Keith stated in deep contemplation. 

“Maybe they’re super discreet?” Lance questioned. In his hands, he began to bundle up Keith hair into a small ponytail, and tied it back with an elastic. “Or in witness protection or something, I don’t know.” 

Lance lowered himself from the bedside, and took a seat beside Keith on the floor. He admired the hairstyle from up close- Keith’s bangs pushed from the front of his face was a rare sight but it was a style that his youthful face wore well. “You look so cute.”

“Lance, I told you, we need to stay focused.” 

“I knooooow!” Lance groaned, slumping against the side of the bed in defeat. “Cosmos might be a small town but when looking for a random, unnamed broken heart, it’s way too vague of a location hint.” 

Keith’s expression quickly perked up, having suddenly thought up a new idea. “Maybe it’s somebody homeless, then. Hence the lack of address. They could’ve been abandoned too young to have been given a name, or something.” 

“Hey, that’s not a bad idea!” Lance exclaimed, his finger pointing upward. “So, should we go be nice to all the homeless people in town and hope for the best?” 

“It’s a start but lets make sure we don’t waste any time. We could talk to a few at least. If we ask for a name and don’t get a response, we’ll know that we’ve found our match.” 

“Good idea!” Lance said. He clapped his hands together, a sense of reassuring confidence overcoming him. “Hunk can give us a hand, too! Between the three of us, we’ll find this broken heart in no time!” 

Keith smiled, yet a sense of uncertainty about the case was still bothering him, something that he couldn’t quite put a finger on. 

The two had arranged to meet up with Hunk for the day. His school semester didn’t begin until winter, so he was still in town, and therefore readily available for a hang out. 

When Keith had called him and explained the situation, Hunk had all but run out the door at the mere mention of Lance’s name. With Pidge gone to school, and Keith always keeping his fair distance, Hunk had grown a tad lonely without his old friend. 

They decided to meet at an old favourite location- a small wooded area off of Pollux Street, and towards the direction of the beach. It was in a backstreet that wasn’t traveled often, and had been something of a special spot for the trio as kids. On certain windy days, the waves of the beach could be heard even from the grove. 

When Hunk had first tried to become friends with Keith, the grove is where he had taken him to meet the rest of his friends. Lance and Pidge had already been waiting there, and their conversation had fallen into complete silence at the sight of an unfamiliar child. 

Keith hadn’t spoken much at first. He was shy, and awkward. After half an hour, he had asked Hunk to walk him back home again. Easing into the group wasn’t an easy task for him, but eventually, he got comfortable. 

The grove had been forgotten about over the years, and judging from its state, was scarcely travelled.

During the days of autumn, the grove became one of the coldest spots in town due to its proximity to the lake-front. The breeze escaped through the barren branches of the trees and settled in the middle of the grove, creating a cold pocket of air. 

On this particular day, the air was bitterly cold, and the wind was crisp, but it did not stop the three from their plans to meet. 

Lance and Keith had arrived first, with Hunk showing up shortly after. 

Hunk had grinned largely and pulled the two boys into a tight group hug, which had then been happily returned. 

They had all found seats atop the large, protruding roots of the trees, the ground cold and solid beneath them. 

As they spoke, clouds of visible air escaped their lips.

“So are you guys dating now or what?” Hunk eventually asked, during an impatient moment of quietness. 

Keith and Lance both stiffened at the question, the answer uncertain even to themselves. 

“Uh…” Lance mumbled, searching for a way to explain their unusual state of relationship. “We’re going steady.” 

“Going steady?” Hunk snickered. “Sounds like something my grandma would say. What does it even mean?”

“Pssht. Puh-lease. As if you don’t know. Everyone’s doing it these days, right, Keith?” 

Keith stared blankly at Lance in return. 

“Yeah? See. He’s not even entertaining this question cause it’s so obvious.” 

“It means that we’re taking things slowly,” Keith explained, not fully getting what Lance was trying to say. “With the eventual intention of dating if things go well.” 

“So like a dating trial run?” Hunk asked, a finger to his chin. “That’s actually not a bad idea at all.” 

“Told ya!” Lance exclaimed. 

“Somehow the two of you dating is both the most and least surprising thing ever.” Hunk said, and when he received no response from either boy, he added, “I mean, you two fought so much as kids, but when you did get along, it was crazy close.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Keith said, his gaze focused on the ground. 

It was true, Keith and Lance had always had a peculiar relationship. 

After they had first met in the grove, and Keith immediately wanted to go home right after, Lance had assumed that the boy thought that he was too good to hang out with other kids. His beliefs and assumptions built up quickly until Keith’s very presence became a large source of irritation for him. 

Keith, on the other hand, hadn't thought much of Lance at all. He just wanted to quietly keep to himself, and Lance was, on the contrary, one of the loudest kids in class. If he were near Lance it just drew more attention to himself so he kept his distance.

Yet, as they got to know each other, they dropped their guards around each other, and had learned how to confide in each other. It was a slow burn friendship, but they eventually found their way. Similarly to the predicament they currently found themselves in.

 _The world has a funny way of working,_ Lance would often think to himself. As he looked upon Keith, a smile adorned his cheeks, _And I'm sure glad it does._

"So you've got until the end of the year to heal all those hearts, huh?" Hunk changed the subject, not wanting to cause his friends any further discomfort. "I don't go back to school until January, so if you guys ever need any help, I'm more than happy to give it."

"Thanks, Hunk, I know I'd totally ace this on my own, but it's nice having you guys as company," Lance replied, his arms confidently crossed over his chest.

Just behind where the three sat, a soft mew could be heard. Immediately, Lance perked up.

"Did you guys hear that?" He asked, to which they nodded, and though it was quite clear already, he added, "It's a cat. I just heard a cat."

"Oh, man, here we go." Hunk groaned, rolling his eyes while shaking his head.

Lance stood, and began to follow the noise with quiet steps while he slowly clicked his tongue in hopes of attracting the animal's attention.

"Once, when we were fourteen, Lance followed a stray cat all the way out of town," Hunk began to explain, "When he finally caught up, he realized he had no idea where he was, and called me crying 'cause he was too embarrassed to call his parents, so me and my mom's ending up having to go out and pick him up."

Keith smiled in amusement, though a pang of guilt followed shortly after. There was so much that he had missed out on. "Really?"

Hunk nodded, "It was hilarious, but man, don't you dare get that carried away this time, huh?" he said, his words now directed at Lance.

"Shhh," Lance quickly shushed his friend, dismissing his words with a quick hand wave.

The cat was now in his sights. It was pure white, with long fur, and bright green eyes. It was hidden within the concave bottom of the tree, and visible only as he leaned down to it's height.

"Hi, sweetie, aren't you beautiful?" Lance greeted, his voice soft and light. Still on his knees, he reached his hand forward, rubbing his thumb and index finger together, "Come 'ere."

The closer he had gotten to the cat, the more he could sense a foul odour emitting from the hollowed out space in the tree. It was likely that the cat was living in the small space, and due to the weather causing the leafs to fall from the trees and bushes, there weren't many other places for a stray cat to find shelter.

"Come on, come on, I won't hurt you, I'm a friend," Lance continue to coo, clicking his tongue repeatedly between sentences. 

The cat didn't move an inch, instead continuing to stare blankly forward. Lance slowly inched forward, and by the time his hand was only inches away from the cat, it had had enough and began to hiss loudly at him. It swatted it's paw forward, claws ablaze, as it smacked Lance's hand away. 

Lance quickly retracted his hand, the cut on his palm already drawing blood to the surface.

Before he could attempt to attract the cat's attention again, he felt himself being pulled back by Hunk.

"Yeah, no, I'm putting an end to that before you get yourself beat by some cat, and get rabies or something." Hunk said, slinging the boy over his shoulder like he weighed nothing.

Lance groaned, eyeing the cat as he was dragged away from it against his will. "It's just a little scratch."

"Are you alright?" Keith asked, having watched the scene play out from a distance.

Once they had arrived back at the base of the grove, Hunk set Lance down where he opened up his hand and revealed the cut. It wasn't particularly deep, but it was bleeding a fair bit due to it's unfortunate position.

"It doesn't hurt," Lance replied, "Don't worry about it."

Keith carefully took Lance's hand in his own, and looked at the cut up close. "It could get infected really easily since it's on your hand, though, and since it's from a stray cat, who knows how many germs could be hidden in those claws."

"Yeah, he's right, " Hunk added, "We should get that washed up quickly."

"Sheesh, you guys, it's nothing," Lance grumbled, but he quickly gave in, "Lets just go back to my place. I was gonna ask if you guys wanted to come over, anyway, maybe we could have a sleepover or something."

"I have work tomorrow," Hunk replied, before he added, "But it's an afternoon shift, so I'll just have to leave early-ish in the morning."

"I'm free," Keith said, simply.

"Perfect," Lance smiled, taking his hand back.

* * *

After the three had arrived back to the schoolhouse, Keith and Hunk had insisted on taking Lance into the washroom and thoroughly cleaning out his cut. The bleeding had long stopped at that point, and had instead dried in his palm, short streaks seeping through the cracks of his fingers. Hunk ran the water, and prepared paper towel to dry off with, as Keith focused on wiping the dried blood away.

Once they were satisfied with the state of the wound, Hunk patted it with the paper towel until it was dry. Only then did they allow Lance to take his hand back, to which the boy made a dramatic production out of accepting it back with a long-winded groan.

"Fiiiinally," Lance grumbled, and Hunk and Keith both rolled their eyes. "It only stings now that you guys have been man-handling it."

"I'm _so sorry_ for not wanting you to get a painful infection from a cat scratch." Keith groaned sarcastically, with a sigh.

Hunk couldn't help but laugh. "You guys haven't changed all that much, after all."

At that, Lance felt a tad guilty and quickly added, "Thanks for the help, guys."

But Keith had already left the room by then, and by the time the other two had caught up, he had reached Lance's bedroom.

"Hey, Keith, I'm-" Lance went to speak, when Keith suddenly shoved a paper in his face. He blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting to the sight.

It was his most recent assignment, the details of which were still just as vague. The 'status' portion of the page had appeared, showing up as 'pending' and then turning into 'incomplete' as it had with Keith's page.

"Don't really need it rubbed in that I'm failing this task so far, Keith," Lance said, glancing at the boy.

"No, look at the top," Keith said, pointing his finger at the page title.

It read:

**The Heart of Sweetie.**

Lance narrowed his eyes, staring at the title for some time to make sure that he was seeing things right.

"That wasn't there before," He said, "Or am I going crazy?"

"You're not going crazy, it definitely wasn't there." Keith said, bringing the page back into his own line of vision. "But what does it mean?"

Lance took a seat at the edge of his bed, his thoughts fumbling over each other.

"Sweetie..." Lance mumbled the name aloud, and then, as if a light bulb appeared above his head, he jumped up, clapping his fist into his palm. "That cat! It's that cat!"

Keith furrowed his eyebrows, but he had no time to question the logic before Lance further explained.

"It's a stray cat, right? And when I called it Sweetie, I named it! It had no name before 'cause it's stray! And now it's name is Sweetie! That cat is the new heart!"

"That-" Keith's eyebrows then raised, his expression softening. "That actually makes a lot of sense."

"So wait..." Hunk piped in, still looking just as confused as he had when the conversation first started. "Let me get this straight... You have to heal that cat's heart now? A cat has a broken heart?"

"Hey man, don't be insensitive, cats are people, too." Lance said, shaking his head. "And no matter what, I've gotta help it out. It's probably lonely or somethin', I mean, it's living in a tree trunk all by itself."

"Fair enough," Hunk said, "Should we head back, then?"

"It's gotten late already," Keith cut in, "We should go back tomorrow."

Lance frowned, knowing that the grove was too far of a walk for them to make it before the sky became completely dark. Being outdoors in a small town during night was not an ideal situation, but he didn't like the idea of leaving the cat on it's own for another night.

"Yeah, I hate to say it but that cat has made it out there this long, so one more night isn't going to hurt it." Hunk agree'd, "Plus, don't forget how apprehensive it was of you during daylight. It'll only get more defensive at night."

"He's right." Keith said. "We should go when we're more prepared. We can lure it out with milk, and then bring it home in a cage."

"I guess so. I just feel bad leaving it out there by itself, especially now that we know it has a broken heart." Lance sighed.

"I know," Keith said, placing his hand on Lance's gently. "And we'll be able to fix it tomorrow."

Lance smiled meekly, and then leaned in toward Keith slightly before he remembered that Hunk was present. He pulled back, and stood from the side of the bed. "Well, we might as well have fun in the meantime, am I right, gents?"

"That's the spirit!" Hunk exclaimed, patting Lance on the shoulder.

And so, the boys decided that they were going to have an easy, fun night before setting off on a more serious adventure the following day. They began the night in the living room, applying face masks as old films played on the television. They didn't particularly pay attention to what was happening in the films, and mostly kept them playing for background noise. They used clips and bands to pin back their fringes, not wanting to get strands of hair messy in the concoctions.

"God, I've missed facials so much," Lance said, rubbing the green mixture across his cheeks. "This feels so nice and soothing. My skin is crying, for real. Can you hear it? It's like _'thank you, Lance, you're so hot, you're our God!'_ "

"No, I don't hear a thing." Keith said, and Lance couldn't be sure whether he had taken his joke seriously or if he was joking back in a deadpan manner.

"My skin is crying, too," Hunk said, "Only it's saying _'What the hell is this? Basic skincare?! Who's forcing this on us?!'_ "

"I know you're joking but genuinely, I worry for your skin when you say that." Lance replied, his head shaking. 

"My skin isn't saying anything." Keith said.

Lance laughed, "If your skin could speak, I think it would have less to say than you do. It's already pretty smooth, and blemish-free."

"Yeah, you and your brother have always had such flawless looks without even trying, how fair is that?" Hunk said, laughing a bit.

"Really?" Keith asked, furrowed eyebrows. "I don't think about that stuff much, so."

"Effortlessly good looking people never think about how good looking they are." Lance said.

Hunk snickered and replied, "So does that imply that you're not good looking since you're always thinking about how you are?"

"Psssht, don't even!" Lance said, waving a hand, "I said _effortlessly._ I'm good looking, it's just a process, y'know! Needs a lil boost every now and then to achieve maximum hotness."

"Uh-huh, okay, gotcha." Hunk continued to laugh.

Once their masks had all fully dried against their skin, the three washed their faces in the sinks of the washroom, and patted them dry before properly moisturising. Their skin felt smooth, and fresh, like never before.

For Lance in particular, it felt like a lifetime had passed since he had been able to take proper care of his skin, and though it would sound silly to anyone else, it was one of the things he missed most about being human. It gave him a sense of control over his appearance, and what could possibly feel more human than that?

After that, the party resumed in Lance's bedroom this time, as the night was growing later, and an early morning would be to follow shortly after. Though Lance had offered some pyjamas to his friends, they were much too small for Hunk, and so the boy opted to sleep in his daytime clothing. He would worry about hygiene and changing for work once he got home in the morning.

But Keith was fine with wearing some of Lance's clothing. They wore the same size, just different dimensions. Lance had longer limbs, but Keith's body was ultimately thicker and he had broader shoulders. Lance had bigger feet, but Keith's were wider. More or less, they were the same height while standing, though Lance would argue til he was black-and-blue that he was the taller of the duo.

So, although the two were practically the same size, they had different body types, which caused Lance's clothing to have a snug fit on Keith.

"I'll take the floor," Hunk said, quickly snapping Lance out of his thoughts. "You guys take the bed."

"Are you sure?" Keith asked. "I don't mind taking the floor."

"I'm not looking to steal your man," Hunk teased, "Besides, I move around way too much when I sleep, I'd knock Lance right off, anyway. So you guys take it. Just don't do anything gross, eh? I'm still gonna be right beside ya."

Lance and Keith both began to burn bright red in the face at Hunk's comment.

"We don't..." Keith mumbled, averting eye contact. "We don't do that kind of stuff."

"You nasty perv!" Lance groaned, tossing a pillow in Hunk's direction. "What part of going steady don't you get?"

Hunk caught the pillow, and then burst into a fit of laughs. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Jeez!"

"Yeah, sure, just go to bed already!" Lance grumbled. As he settled into his bed, he held the covers open until Keith was contently under them as well, and then he set them down gently on the other boys shoulder.

Hunk rolled his eyes with a teasing smile as he settled down on the floor. He plopped the pillow down, and grabbed the spare blanket from the end of Lance's bed, wrapping himself up in it until he laid down comfortably.

"Good night, guys, tonight was a lot of fun. I've missed seeing you both." Hunk spoke softly, as he shut his eyes.

"I missed you too, Hunk. Good night." Lance said.

"Goodnight," said Keith.

Only moments later, the room was filled with the sound of Hunk's quiet breathing as he drifted off into sleep.

"That was fast," Keith whispered.

"Yeah, he's one of those 'sleep as soon as his head hits the pillow' types," Lance whispered back, "I'm jealous, it takes me awhile to get to sleep."

"Me too," said Keith.

A few more quiet moments passed, and the room remained at a silent standstill, save for the sound of Hunk's breathing.

"Y'know, there's something I've wanted to do all day," Lance began to speak, his gaze fluctuating between Keith's eyes and lips. "Is it okay if I go for it?"

Keith watched as Lance's eyes danced around with uncertainty, his face lingering closer with each passing second, and once he was sure that the tension was more than Lance could bare, he finally smiled, and said, "Go for it."

Lance dove in quickly once he had been given the okay. He cupped Keith's cheek in his hand, the boy's complexion smooth as silk against his palm. The gesture was returned without hesitance, Keith placing his hand on Lance's shoulder as he deepened the kiss.

After a moment, they pulled apart, staring at each other softly as they rested their heads back onto the pillows.

"You look so pretty in the moonlight," Lance mumbled, intertwining his fingers with Keith's, Keith gently rubbing his thumb across Lance's cut. It only hurt a bit, but it had more or less already closed over. "Your black hair glows blue."

Keith smiled softly, "You're sappy," he teased, "Because you're so tired."

"Maybe so," Lance laughed, rubbing the tip of his nose against Keith's. "I'm glad you're staying over tonight. It's kind of creepy here on my own. I mean, I'm obviously not scared or anything, but, y'know, it's nice having you here."

"My house feels pretty lonely these days, too," Keith stated outright, and Lance was surprised by his honesty. "Takashi isn't home all that often, and Adam is always busy with the wedding planning, so I'm always on my own."

Lance ran his free hand along the side of Keith's head, playing with strands of his hair before it arrived to his jawline. "Why don't you stay with me for awhile? Or maybe even just spend a couple nights a week here, or something?"

Keith remained quiet for a moment, and Lance quickly added, "No pressure, though, only if you want to."

Leaning forward, Keith bridged the gap between them once more, pressing his lips against Lance's softly and quickly.

"I want to," Keith said, while pulling back. "A couple nights a week, maybe. I think that option sounds like it could work."

Lance scrunched up his nose as he smiled, a habit he'd had since childhood when he got so happy that his face couldn't contain it. "I'm happy to hear that. It'll be fun."

Keith nodded his head, and gave Lance one last, fleeting kiss. "We should sleep now."

"Yeah," Lance mumbled, though his heart was so aflutter that he wasn't sure if he'd be able to. "Good night, Keith."

"Good night, Lance." Keith responded, his eyes closing shut, though the faintest smile remained on his lips.

* * *

It was still dark outside by the time Lance found himself suddenly awakening. A light drip-drop pattering on the side of his cheek had caused him to stir, before ultimately waking up completely. He sat upright, the small bit of stirring around awaking Keith as well, who was a light sleeper.

"Is everything alright?" Keith asked, one eye tightly shut with sleepiness.

"Yeah, I think it's raining." Lance replied. He got onto his knees, and closed the opened frame of his bed-side window, where the rain had blown in from the outdoors.

"Come back to sleep," Keith grumbled, tugging on the bottom of Lance's shirt, but Lance remained still. After a moment, Keith opened both eyes, rubbing them as he sat up. "What's wrong?"

"Sweetie," Lance mumbled, to which Keith raised an eyebrow. "T-The cat, I mean. It's still out there."

"I know," Keith said, "We'll get it in the morning."

The idea didn't sit well with Lance. He stubbornly shook his head. "No, it's out there all alone in the pouring rain. It must be terrified, or worse, what if it gets sick?"

"Lance, come on," Keith grumbled, "You can't seriously be thinking about going out there to get it."

"Of course I am." Lance countered. "Because that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Lance stood from the bed, careful to tip-toe around his sleeping friend on the floor as he made his way to his dresser. He tousled through the drawers until he found an appropriate set of warm clothing, and then he began to change on the spot. By then, Keith had also stirred out of the bed, and approached Lance.

"You can't go out there," Keith persisted. "What if you get sick?"

"I'm kind of changing here, dude." Lance said, throwing his pyjama top to the ground.

Keith sighed, closing his eyes. "Why can't you just wait a few hours?"

"Keith, you know I can't do that, and that I'm not going to change my mind about it."

"Fine," Keith said, tucking his thumbs into the bottom of his own shirt before he prompted took it off, and threw it to the ground.

Lance's eyes widened, "W-w-w-w-woah, woah, woah! What're you doing?"

"I'm going with you, obviously, but not dressed like this." Keith explained.

"Fine, but turn around at least!" Lance loudly whispered, careful to keep his volume in check.

Keith complied, and turned his back towards Lance as he continued to undress. Without slipping a peak, Lance slid a set of clothing in Keith's direction, a warm outfit that he thought would fit him well, and that he'd be comfortable in. They were both quick to dress, and luckily managed to do so without stirring Hunk awake at all.

When they were done dressing, they turned to face each other again, and Lance couldn't help but break into a short laugh when he saw how long the legs of his pants were on Keith. He bent down, and cuffed the bottom so that the trim wouldn't get in his way while walking. Keith mumbled a quick thanks, and then, they both left the room.

They weren't exactly prepared to capture a stray cat, but they made do with what they had.

They had no cage, so instead they grabbed an empty crate from Lance's room. It was fairly small, though large enough for a small animal.

They had no umbrella, so they grabbed a spare jacket, figuring that it would be enough to guard the cat from the rain during the walk home.

As they stepped out, they were greeted by heavy, cold rain. Large puddles had already formed on the ground, and Lance could only sadly imagine how damp and cold Sweetie's little outdoor home had become during such a storm.

There was no time to waste, and so, he and Keith promptly headed out without hesitation. The walk was cold, and wet, but ultimately, it was short to endure for a good gesture.

The ground of the grove had become muddy, and they had to walk over it carefully so as to not slip. Surely enough, Sweetie was still hidden away in the hollowed space at the base of the tree, and visibly shaking due to the coldness of the weather.

"Hi, Sweetie, remember me?" Lance coo'd, his voice sweet and soft. He dropped to his knees, slowly offering his hand to the cat. "Do you wanna come somewhere nice and warm with me?"

Sweetie didn't move.

Keith placed the crate in front of the tree's base, and Lance began to tap the bottom of it to attract the cat's attention. "Come on, Sweetie, you can do it, come on."

Sweetie's ears perked up slightly, her posture becoming more upright.

"That's a girl, come on now," Lance's voice became more excitable, which only further attracted the cat's attention. "Get into the crate, nice and easy!"

Finally, the cat began to take a few hesitant steps forward, halting in her tracks only as she neared the entrance of the tree's hole.

She stared up at both boys, clearly apprehensive to trust them. Lance brought his fingers closer to her face, and allowed her to sniff them. Once she had sniffed to her hearts content, she gently rubbed her cheek against his hand, and Lance smiled widely in victory.

Giving her head a small pat, Lance was able to easily lure Sweetie into the crate after, and then covered the exposed bits with the spare jacket they had brought. The walk back felt a little longer, though it was likely because Lance held the crate so carefully so as to not disturb the frightened cat.

When they had arrived to the school house, Lance carefully set the crate on the floor outside of his bedroom and removed the jacket. Sweetie didn't exit, but that was fine.

"When moving cats into a new place, you're supposed to set their cage down in an open space of the house, and let them explore the area themselves," Lance explained to Keith. "It'll take her a little while to adjust, so we should leave her be for now. Do you wanna go get some sleep?"

"Do I ever." Keith grumbled, hanging his wet jacket on Lance's bed post as they entered his room.

Hunk was still soundly asleep, completely unaware of all that had taken place during the eventful night. Keith and Lance changed back into their pyjamas, discarding their wet clothes is a messy pile on the floor, waiting to be dealt with at a later time when they were more energetic.

After slipping into bed, the two snuggled against each other more tightly than ever before, in an attempt to regain some bodily warmth. They drifted off into peaceful sleep, not to be awoken until hours later, when it was mid-morning.

Keith was the first of the two to awaken, though Lance was quick to follow. Sunshine had taken the place of the rain, and little inklings trickled in through the opened cracks of the curtains, bathing the two in a soft, light glow.

"Good morning," Lance mumbled, his face still half-hidden within his pillow.

"Morning," Keith greeted in return, propping his head up with his hand. And then, just momentarily, he froze. "Don't make any quick movements," he warned.

Lance tensed up, instantly expecting the worst. "Is it a spider? Is there a spider on me?"

Keith shook his head, and then pointed to the end of the bed, Lance's eyes slowly following along until they landed upon the object in question.

At the end of the bed was Sweetie, sitting primly upright as her tail wagged subtly behind her. As soon as her eyes made contact with Lance's, she let out a gentle mew, the pace of her tail quickening.

"Hey, Sweetie," Lance said, sitting up with a smile. "Someone looks real happy today, huh?"

Sweetie began to slowly knead her paws against the bedding, a gentle purring could be heard coming from her chest.

"It looks like Hunk left," Keith said, his attention now drawn to the side of the bed.

The blanket Hunk had used was folded into a square, and was neatly placed atop the pillow. At the very top was a small note that he had left behind. It read:

_sorry for leaving without notice!! didn't wanna wake the lovebirds! :P (that includes the cat!! can't believe you guys went on a whole adventure without me!!) anyway! off to the depressing reality of adulthood I go!! -Hunk!!_

"I guess we all took turns being heavy sleepers last night, huh?" Lance joked, as he quickly read over the note. 

"It looks like it." Keith said.

Again, a soft ping could be heard, but Lance already knew what it signified, even before looking up.

A soft blue light had begun to glow around Sweetie's chest, and in the center was a small, twirling pink heart. As Lance reached forward to touch it, it once again burst into a pile of confetti, with a small note card landing amongst it.

 **A small act goes a long way for the heart of a little creature.**  
Congratulations, Lance McClain.  
The heart of Sweetie is healing.  
**Eighteen Hearts Remain.**


	5. October 23rd

In the morning, Keith had work, and in the afternoon, he had therapy. 

To occupy himself during these hours, Lance decided to focus heavily on his newest mission. 

After the healing of Sweetie’s heart, a new assignment had arrived in its place. Lance had read it over by himself, but he quickly hid it away from sight. 

He didn’t intend to let Keith see it, and for good reason, or, at the very least, what he thought was a good reason. 

It was a complicated scenario, and he wasn’t sure what to do. 

And so, before it was time for him to pick Keith up from therapy, Lance tried as hard as he could to find a way to contact Bob. 

Bob was the all-knowing entity that he had signed his original contract with, and at the time, Lance had been too full of excitement to ask many questions regarding his trial. 

He regretted it then. 

What Lance wanted more than anything with his newest case was to get a reassignment. Surely there was somebody else in Cosmos with a broken heart that was more worthy of healing. 

Maybe he was being dramatic, but he didn’t think so.

The latest file read: 

**Assignment 3/20  
The Heart of James Griffin**

Beneath the title was a photo from his drivers license, his appearance not all that different from how Lance had remembered him. 

**Assignment:** Repair the broken heart of James.  
**Difficulty Level:** Medium  
**Location of Client:** 1210 Atlas Street.  
**Notes:**  
-Nothing to be noted.

“Nothing to be noted, my ass.” Lance grumbled, tossing the paper to the ground, where it landed near Sweetie’s paws. The cat eyed the paper but was ultimately disinterested in it. 

James Griffin went a far way back with Lance and his friends. They both had their own cliques and therefore didn’t care much for interacting with the other. It wasn’t that part that mattered, though, it was something else that bothered Lance. 

After Keith’s dad had died, he had reasonably taken a long time to adjust to the changes in his life, and he struggled heavily with the PTSD and trauma that the event had left him with. 

The touching of his neck, in particular, had become a terrible trigger for him, often causing him to scream out and lose control of his actions. 

Most people understood, or at least they tried to, but some kids became irritated, lacking the basic empathy it required to be patient. 

James happened to be one of those kids. 

It began during a gym class, shortly after Keith had first returned back to school. 

The other kids walked on eggshells around him, his new self-isolating state causing them to feel uneasy.

Regardless, he had to participate in the class if he didn’t want to be held back a grade. 

The game was tag. It was simple and straight-forward.

It had gone on for a awhile, and Keith didn’t move much. The other kids avoided touching him, as if it was wordlessly agreed that they should let him be. 

James didn’t think along those lines, though, and once he had been tagged ‘it’, he quickly went after who he deemed was the weakest link. 

Of course that was Keith.

As James’ hand came into contact with Keith’s neck, the boy had let out a piercing yell, and fell to his knees.

He lost all composure, screaming and crying until his older brother, Takashi, was called to the school to pick him up. 

Only then did he finally calm down. 

James’ intentions had naturally not been bad, but from that moment onward, he had grown to dislike Keith. 

He accused Keith of acting out to gain attention, claiming that his trauma was only a front he put up to get out of attending school. 

Eventually, other kids found it easier to laugh along with James than to stand up for their absent classmate. 

Lance, Hunk, and Pidge, had hated seeing their former friend getting a bad reputation, but ultimately, there was little they could do. The teachers turned a blind eye, and they were heavily out numbered. 

The bullying faded with time, but the feeling never went away. 

Lance still despised James due to the events of the past, and even as an adult, he was in no mood to forgive him. 

The only issue remaining was that Lance had no idea how to contact Bob- let alone how to apply for a reassignment. 

He read through his original contract several times, to no avail. 

He stared at the ceiling and yelled Bob’s name over and over again, to no avail. 

He even went outside to shout directly toward the sky, to no avail. 

He felt as if he had reached a dead end and so he took a few moments to groom Sweetie’s long fur while he thought of what to do next. 

Since Sweetie had joined the two in Lance’s makeshift home, they had given her a comfortable space of her own in the living room. 

They got her food and water dishes, and even a small bed. But, as it would turn out, she didn’t care for the living room. Instead, Sweetie wanted to be close to her humans, after a lifetime of lonely isolation. 

But Lance was fine with that, and soon enough, Sweetie was spending her nights comfortably curled up at the end of the bed.

Sweetie pushed out her chin as Lance brushed beneath her neck and down her chest. She was purring loudly, and chirping little mews every now and then. 

“You’re such a happy girl, huh?” Lance would make those types of comments every now and then. 

Mindlessly, he reached for the television remote, and turned the television on for some background noise. 

He clicked the ‘guide’ button, but the television began to buzz in and out of reception. Then, the screen turned white and there was no noise. 

“Oh, come on,” Lance grumbled impatiently. 

“You’ve reached The Heaven Channel,” A voice came from the television, as a soft harmonic tune played in the background. 

“Press one to review your heavenly contract. Press two to make alterations to your heavenly contract. Press three if you would like to voice any comments or concerns regarding your heavenly contract.” 

Despite not fully understanding what was going on, Lance quickly pressed the ‘3’ button on the remote.

Pictures of a blue sky flashed over the screen, along with a message that read “Please wait…”. The music continued to play. 

After a few slow moments of this, Bob appeared on the screen, the camera panned at a close face-shot. 

“Hello Lance,” Bob greeted, “I understand that you have a question or concern regarding your contract.” 

Lance looked around, slowly inching toward the television. 

“Can you see me?” he asked, glancing all around the room for a hidden camera or microphone. 

“We know and see all, Lance,” Bob said, “Your calls have been heard. Now tell me, what is your question or concern?” 

“Uh, okay, right, yeah, let’s get to that,” Lance began to speak, fumbling over his unrehearsed words. “I want to- I mean if it’s possible- Is it possible to get a reassignment? ‘Cause I want one.” 

“On what grounds do you reject your current case, McClain?”

“Uh, well,” Lance mumbled, “On the grounds that he’s a total dickweed, sir.” 

Bob went quiet, and so Lance continued. 

“He used to bully my boyf- Uh, my fr— ugh, whatever. My Keith.” Lance explained, “I can’t heal the heart of someone who probably doesn’t even have one.” 

“Your concerns have been heard, and your case will be re-examined,” Bob stated. “Expect a response before tomorrow’s sunrise. Until then, the case will be on hold.” 

Lance pumped his fist eagerly. He wouldn’t be declined- he was positive of it. If angels couldn’t be understanding of matters of the heart, then who could? 

Afterwards, Lance turned the television off and got himself dressed in more weather-appropriate gear. 

Autumn was quickly growing colder as it advanced. 

It was nearly November, and trees were beginning to lose their colourful leafs. Soon, snow would begin to fall, and a long winter would begin once more. 

But not just yet. 

Lance was excited to see snowfall again, but it could wait. This day was much more special than that.  
It was Keith’s twentieth birthday, and Lance wanted to make it a special night. 

After he finished dressing, Lance drove over to Dr. Fala’s office to pick up Keith from his therapy session.

Adam had given him permission ahead of time to borrow his car for the night, since he wouldn’t be needing it. 

Keith had been surprised to see Lance behind the wheel of the vehicle, but pleasantly so. 

“I thought maybe you’d want to hang out, and do something fun since it’s your birthday,” Lance had said. 

“Lance, your trial-“ Keith attempted to argue, but he was cut off shortly. 

“I still don’t have my next assignment, so don’t worry. Besides, Keith, it’s your birthday. You only turn twenty once so why don’t we have fun?” 

Keith didn’t object to this. He didn’t see any reason to. If Lance didn’t have an assignment then all they could do was waste some time together, so why not? There was no harm. 

“Sure,” Keith said, as he buckled in his seatbelt. “What are we going to do?”

“I’ll let you decide,” Lance said, “The theatre is playing some horror movies all week for their monster movie marathon, the autumn festival is going on in the upper parts of town, or we could drive around until something piques your interest.” 

Keith silently contemplated the options before replying, “The autumn festival sounds nice. I haven’t seen it in a long time.” 

“It seems like a nice night for it, too,” Lance said. 

The weather was chilly but beautiful. The breeze was delicate, and not too harsh. The trees were all perfect colourful shades, and the sky was clear and soft. 

The sun would set soon, but that was when the autumn festival was at its best. The children would no longer be around so the atmosphere would be quiet and more peaceful. 

“How did therapy go?” Lance asked. The drive wasn’t so long, but long enough that light conversation wouldn’t hurt. 

“It was okay.” Keith had answered bluntly. 

“Just okay?” 

“Sometimes are harder than others. We talked about a lot of grim things today.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Lance said, “All the more reason to take your mind off of things tonight then, huh.” 

Keith nodded his head, his chin in his palm as he watched scenery pass the car in fast-motion.

“This is, uhm,” Lance felt his cheeks burning up a bit as he spoke, but he tried to keep a cool composure. “Kind of like, our first date ever, huh?”

Keith eyed Lance briefly, inklings of a smile on his face. “Yeah, I guess it will be.” 

“I hope you have a good time, then, just nudge me or something if you think it’s too boring, and I’ll take you somewhere else.” 

Keith laughed, “Okay, I will.”

* * *

The autumn festival was in full swing by the time Lance and Keith had arrived. 

It was located at the north end of town, spanning from the town streets all the way to the local park. 

It was a different park from the one that Lance and friends had frequented as children. This one was much too far to walk to, and was much larger. 

Any and all town events were hosted in this park. 

Booths of various sorts filled the park, most of which were food-related, and all pertained to the autumn theme. 

Many booths also had a Halloween theme due to the close relation between the season and the holiday. Some booth runners were even wearing their Halloween costumes. 

Overall, the atmosphere was nice and light. Beer tents were beginning to open as the sky shone orange in preparation of the setting sun. 

Keith held onto Lance’s arm very loosely with his hand, just enough so that it was hardly visible from a distance. Lance didn’t mind the hesitancy, given how public the area was, but Keith’s subtle ways of showing affection were appreciated.

They began their journey by the food booths, experimenting with the various types of autumn recipes being sold. 

Every food imaginable was available with an apple or pumpkin twist, the drinks were hot and sweet, and there was no shortage of selection. 

Much to Lance’s surprise, Keith had a bigger sweet tooth than expected, and he enjoyed the dessert foods most of all. 

Lance was no picky eater, so he tried his luck with a little bit of everything. He liked a punch of flavour, so in the end, anything with a cinnamon touch immediately won his approval. 

“Having fun?” Lance would ask Keith every now and then. 

Each time, he was met with the same response. 

“Yup.” 

It wouldn’t sound enthusiastic to unfamiliar ears, but as Lance saw the hint of a smile on Keith’s face, he knew that the words were genuine, and he felt completely assured. 

They continued to advance down the booths, only now they no longer stopped for treats. They knew when to cut themselves off for the evening, not wishing to end the night with dreadful stomach aches from overeating. 

The two became immersed in conversation from then on. Keith explained more about how his day had gone, and Lance spoke briefly of what Sweetie had been doing in his absence.

Keith kept his hand gently rested on the bend of Lance’s elbow as they walked, so as his grip suddenly tightened, Lance knew something was up. 

A masked man hidden behind one of the booths unexpectedly jumped out at the duo, a fake knife coated in red substance wielded in his hands. 

Keith had spotted him just before he had jumped, but the sight of the bloodied blade had been what got to him. The visual caused him to lose his breath, suppressing the desire to scream deep within his throat. 

It was for the same reason that Keith had never been able to sit through a gorey horror movie: he had already seen the real thing, and the visual cue instantly took him right back to the time and place in which he had witnessed violent death. 

His grip on Lance’s arm was tight, and his vision began to blur. His mind grew foggy, clouded over by miserable flashbacks.

“…th? Keith? You okay?” 

Keith blinked a few times, his mind returning to the present moment. He was suddenly conscious of how hard his breathing had become.

His vision cleared, the first sight in front of him being the concerned look upon Lance’s face. 

“Yeah,” Keith mumbled quietly, as he swallowed back, his breath still heavy and his heart pounding a mile a minute. 

“It’s just some asshole in a cheap Halloween mask,” Lance said, “Everything is okay. I’m right here.”

“Yeah,” was all Keith could manage to utter once more. His head still felt light and clouded, and he’d need a little bit of time to recover. 

“What the hell are you thinking just jumping out at random people?” Lance now directed his words toward the masked man. 

The man took a few steps forward, removing the mask slowly from his face. 

“I’m just doing my job,” the man said.

Instantly, Lance’s eyes widened. 

Beneath the mask was a man around his age, he had straight brown hair which he wore brushed off to the side. The exact same style in which he had worn it as a child. 

“James Griffin?” Lance mumbled, mostly to himself, but as he said it, the man had looked just as shocked as he did. 

“Lance? But… how? I thought you-?” 

“Died, yeah, kinda old news,” Lance replied, “So what? You’re hired to traumatize people now? You decided to stop doing it for free?” 

James furrowed his eyebrows and remained silent for a moment, carefully processing everything that was going on. 

His eyes briefly made contact with Keith’s, albeit it was fleeting and the two continued to ignore each other afterwards. 

“I hadn’t realized who the two of you were or else I wouldn’t ha-“ 

“Yeah, sorry that he forgot to wear his ‘Don’t be a dick and jump out to scare people’ shirt today, it’s in the wash.” 

“I told you, it’s my job.” James grumbled, rolling his eyes. “Whatever. Is he okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Keith finally spoke up, though his body was still ever-so jittery. “It’s no big deal, really.”

“Let’s get out of here, Keith,” Lance said, reaching back to grab his limp hand. 

Keith didn’t fight it. He allowed himself to be dragged off, his eyes briefly following James once again.

The man didn’t particularly look regretful, but James’ expression was often just as hard to read as Keith’s was. There was no telling what he felt. 

The two continued on down the booth path until Lance eventually found a more private area that he could pull Keith toward. 

But, before they could fully get there, a voice calling out stopped them. 

“Lance? Lance? Oh my God, no way! It can’t be!” 

Lance groaned loudly. Was one moment of peace too much to ask for? 

Turning to face the voice, Lance had been all but tackled to the ground by the person in question. He instinctively held onto them, his hand releasing from Keith’s.

The girl pulled away from the embrace, and began to coat Lance’s cheek in sloppy kisses. 

“Oh my God, I just can’t believe this! It really is you, Lance!”

As the girl pulled away, Lance was able to instantly recognize her. 

She had curly, red hair and plump glossed lips. Her cheeks were freckled, but it was hardly visible under her heavy makeup. 

Her clothing was thin, and her jewelry was gaudy and loud as she moved.

Her name was Juniper, Juni for short. 

Even Keith knew who Juni was. After all, she had been the girl that Lance had kissed at the party right before he had kissed him. 

The two had been good friends, or at least, they had been from what Keith could tell. 

Lance had always been a bit of a player, and Juni was a girl that liked the game.

“Juni, hey,” Lance greeted. 

“For a second I was like, ‘Did he have another twin?! Am I going crazy?!’ But when I saw Keith I just _knew_ it had to be you!” 

"Nah, it’s me. Back from the dead in all my glory,” Lance laughed, “It’s a long story, so I won’t get into it.” 

“Right. Just a total miracle of life, no biggie!” Juni teased right back. 

Keith’s eyes stayed focused on the ground in front of him. 

“Sorry I like, practically took you down just now!” Juni said. “I just missed you sooo much. I never thought we’d meet again.” 

“Yeah, same,” Lance replied, “How have you been?” 

“I’ve been great, I just dropped out of college actually! Greatest choice I’ve ever made, let me tell you.” 

“No way, that’s great,” Lance said, although it felt odd to say. 

“Still have to pay them back though, can you believe that?! Ugh.” 

“Yeah, it’s way too much, my family couldn’t even afford the fees to apply to schools.” Lance said. 

“Aw, your family, I miss them! I haven’t seen any of you McClains in soo long!” 

Lance swallowed back. “So what do you do now then? Work, or?” 

“No, not really. I mean, I say I’m looking for work but I haven’t even made my resume yet. I’ll get to it… eventually.” 

Lance laughed. 

Juni spoke again, “Sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt you two. Are you guys like…?” 

“Like?” Lance raised his eyebrows. 

“Like, dating? I remember that intense make-out sesh at the party.”

“No, we’re not,” Lance replied quickly, to which Keith raised his eyebrows. 

“Phew!” Juni teased, “So you’re still on the market! Good to know! Listen, I hear my mom honking the car already. What a bitch, am I right? Ha! I’ll be seeing you guys around, hm?” 

“Yeah, it’s been good seeing you, Juni!” Lance said, watching as the eccentric girl dashed off just as quickly as she had arrived.

When she was out of sight, Lance returned his gaze to Keith, greeted by a completely unimpressed look on his face. 

“What?” Lance asked. 

Keith let out a sigh, and turned on his heels. “I’m going home.” 

“Wait, what? Why?” Lance panicked, hurrying after him. 

“I’d hate to interrupt your busy night on the market.” Keith hissed. 

“Wait, hold on, Keith, lets talk about this.” Lance fumbled, quickening his pace.

But Keith didn’t stop. He continued to hurry down the line of booths until finally the two were in a vacant area of the park, untouched by the autumn festival. 

“You like her, don’t you?” Keith asked, finally turning to face Lance. 

“Wait, are you jealous?” Lance asked. 

“Just answer the question, Lance. Do you like her?” 

Lance shook his head. “Of course not.” 

Keith remained quiet, clearly not satisfied with Lance’s answer. 

“Okay, what? Just tell me why you’re upset.” 

“For starters, you just told her that we weren’t dating,” Keith said, and quickly added, “Which, whatever, I know we aren’t technically but you didn’t even mention anything about going steady, and now she thinks that you’re ‘on the market.’” He quoted in the air with his fingers. 

“I’m sorry, Keith. I should’ve specified,” Lance replied, “I just… genuinely didn’t think you’d want people to know.” 

“Why wouldn’t I want people to know?” Keith asked. 

“I don’t know, it’s all so complicated.” Lance replied. “It’s not like we’ve discussed what we’d tell everyone else.”

“I don’t mind if other people know,” Keith said. 

“I’ll go tell her, then,” Lance said, but before he could turn around, Keith had stopped him. 

“Don’t bother, it’ll just be embarrassing now.” 

“Are you sure?” Lance asked. 

Keith nodded his head. 

“I’m sorry, Keith,” Lance apologized. “This whole night has been a big mess, and I’m just making it worse for you.” 

“It’s fine, you’d be having fun if I wasn’t here.” 

“Hey, that’s not true,” Lance stepped closer to Keith, his arms hovering over his waist hesitantly, “Can I..?” 

Keith nodded his head, and so Lance wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him in closer. Keith reciprocated, sliding his arms around Lance’s shoulders, and resting his cheek gently by the other boy’s neck. 

“I wouldn’t have fun if you weren’t here,” Lance said. “It would be so damn boring if I wasn’t here with the _one_ person I like.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah, of course. I’m only having fun because you’re with me.” 

Keith laughed a bit. 

“And I’m sorry this day got real messy, and that I said the wrong thing to Juni, but from now, at least I know what to say, y’know?”

“Mhm,” Keith agreed. 

“I got you something, by the way, maybe now is a good time to give it to you.” 

“You did?” Keith asked, his eyebrows raising. 

“It’s kind of cheesy, so if you hate it, then I’ll return it.”

But Keith wasn’t in the mood to beat around the bush anymore. “What is it? Show me.” 

Lance reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small square box. When Keith shot him a small panicked look, he laughed and said, “Okay, it’s not what you think.” 

Inside the box was a ring. It had a thick, silver band, and in the center was Keith’s birthstone, an opal. It shone white with blue highlights, and sparkled nicely as light reflected off of it. 

“It’s, uhm,” Lance suddenly felt himself getting nervous, “It’s a promise ring.” 

Keith took the box into his hands and began to look at the ring more closely. 

“I have a lot to promise to you, and now seems like a good time, so,”

“What do you promise?” 

“Well, uhm,” Despite the fact that Lance had rehearsed what he wanted to say, he was suddenly finding himself struggling for words.

“I promise to always have your back, and be there to support you. I’ll be a good non-official boyfriend to you for as long as you can stand me.” 

Keith handed the box back to Lance, causing him to freeze up for a second. But as Keith lifted up his hand, in waiting for the ring, Lance felt himself washed over with relief. 

He pulled the ring out of the box, and slid it onto Keith’s second last finger. 

“Happy birthday, Keith,” Lance said. 

Keith admired the ring up close, before he reached forward, cupping Lance’s cheek in his hand. 

“Thank you, Lance,” Keith leaned in, pressing his lips against Lance’s. 

Lance held onto Keith’s hips, deepening the kiss as he felt Keith’s hand running through the hair at the nape of his neck. 

They pulled away a moment later, having felt like the world around them had disappeared. 

“Do you like it? I mean, really? ‘Cause if you don’t I can return it, it’s no prob-” 

“Lance, I love it,” Keith interrupted. “You’re not returning it.” 

“Phew, thank God, I lost the receipt, anyway.” Lance laughed. “Did you still want to go home, or?” 

Keith shook his head. “We can stay for a little while longer.” 

A sense of relief put Lance at ease. He had feared that Keith’s birthday had already been damaged beyond repair, and he hated to think that his date idea would be the cause of it.

But he knew that wasn’t true, as Keith held out his hand in wait of Lance’s to accompany it, and fearlessly locked their fingers together, all while admiring the new ring on his opposite hand. 

“I really don’t care if people know that we’re going steady, it’s not something I want to hide.” Keith said, “But, for the record, you can tell Juniper that we’re legitimately dating so that she doesn’t try anything.”

“Didn’t peg you as the jealous type, Keith,” Lance teased, a wide grin spread across his face, “It’s cute, though.”

“Shut up,” Keith grumbled, his grip on Lances hand tightening. 

And so, the night continued, only now things moved forward on a more pleasant note. The two didn’t run into James, or Juniper, or anybody else that they didn’t want to see for the night. 

Things were pleasant, things were peaceful. Romantic, and sweet. 

Until Lance returned home, greeted by a new sheet of paper signed by Bob, that is. 

**Your Request for a new assignment has been declined. The heart of James Griffin will remain as the current case.**


	6. The Heart of James Griffin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to apologize again for chapter delay and quality. Things got busy irl and writers block was once again unforgiving. Regardless, I hope you enjoy!

Lance didn’t want to keep any secrets from Keith. 

He wanted to keep things honest, and straight-forward. 

So when he learned that he had no choice but to keep James Griffin as his current case, he had to take a breath and confess the truth. 

Keith had been a bit quiet at first, but ultimately didn’t appear to be bothered. 

“You have to do it,” Keith had said, his tone serious. “Regardless of whether you like him it not.” 

“It just doesn’t feel right,” Lance replied. “After all he said and did to you... How do you even begin to heal a guy like that?” 

Keith shrugged his shoulders.

“Are you really sure that you’re okay with this? ‘Cause I can just face eternal damnation if it means that that asshole will live with a broken heart his whole life.” 

“Lance,” Keith groaned. “That’s precisely what we’re trying to avoid here.” 

Keith reached forward, his hand lightly pressed on top of Lance’s. 

“Look, it’s not like I think someone like him deserves your time, but if this is what it takes to make sure that you can live again, then I don’t care who you have to heal.” Keith explained. “Just forget about all that childhood stuff. It’s embarrassing, anyway.” 

Lance turned his hand around so that his palm rested against Keith’s. He felt the pleasant warmth emitting from his hand; a comfortable and familiar feeling that created a nice contrast to his own cold hand.

“He’s lucky I’m so whipped.” Lance commented. “Otherwise I’d be waiting down in hell for him.” 

“You’re so stupid,” Keith teased, pecking Lance’s cheek softly with a brief kiss. 

Lance intertwined his fingers with Keith’s, his thumb slowly running along the outline of the other boy’s ring. He tilted his head until his lips met with Keith’s; not a significant movement, since his lips had already been hovering. 

With his free hand raised to rest on Lance’s shoulder, Keith returned the kiss with a soft push. 

It wasn’t until Sweetie’s loud mews began that the two broke apart. 

“I have to feed her soon, guess she’s getting impatient.” Lance commented. 

“I should probably be heading to work now, anyway.” Keith responded. 

The two stood from the bed, and kissed once more.

“Have a good shift,” Lance said, and teasingly added, “I’ll probably miss you, I guess.”

“I won’t miss you at all,” Keith teased right back.

* * *

“Thanks again for agreeing to drive me, Shiro,” Lance said, buckling his seatbelt in tightly. 

After Keith had left, Lance had made a quick call to Takashi to see if either he or Adam could do him a favour. 

Adam wasn’t home, and Takashi had no plans for the morning so he agreed. All Lance had asked for was a quick ride, after all. 

“The Autumn festival, right?” Takashi asked. 

Lance nodded, “Yes!” he confirmed. 

The drive was a quick one, especially during the mid-morning hours when few other cars were out and about. The weather was colder than it had been the night before but it wasn’t unbearable when dressed appropriately.

When Lance had first stepped into the car, he was quick to notice the not-so subtle differences in Takashi’s appearance. 

The few patches of white in his hair had rapidly grown, now taking up most of his head. The naturally dark spots were in the minority, and looked like streaks at most. 

“Are you really so stressed that it’s turning your hair white that quickly?” Lance asked, against his better judgement.

But Takashi took it well, laughing lightly as he caught a glimpse of himself in the driver’s mirror. 

“Yeah, I guess so,” He said, “I feel like I’m handling it well mentally but I guess it’s having its physical repercussions.” 

Lance nodded along quietly. “Are you going to dye it for the wedding or nah?” 

“Should I?” Takashi asked, “It might get Adam to stop worrying so much.” 

“He’s your man, it’s his job to worry.” Lance insisted with a laugh. “The white looks cool, though.”

“You think so? Thanks.” 

The conversation had faded off at that point but it wasn’t at all uncomfortable. 

Lance gazed out of the window at the passing scenery. They passed the colourful open fields of Cosmos so quickly, despite how large the land truly was. 

In summer, the fields would appear bright green, and in the winter, they were covered by a blanket of snow. 

Presently, in Autumn, the grass was becoming brown and coated in the colourful leafs that had fallen from the surrounding trees.

Lance lowered his gaze. A long, dirt trail framed the outside of the paved road, and on the other side, it lowered into a ditch. 

The ditches were coated with litter; discarded trash from the lazy pedestrians and drivers that travelled the long road.

Lance grew slightly nauseous as he watched the road beneath the tires of the car, and so he stopped. 

But then, something else began to bother him.

The sound of screeching tires began to ring in his ears.

It echoed, reverberating between both ears. 

He covered them instinctively but it made no difference. It was only as if he had trapped the sound.

“Is it- um, getting a little stuffy in here? Heh… I kinda feel like… like it is.” Lance began to mumble nonsensically. 

A compressive feeling against his chest began to deepen, and his breathing had become sporadic. He didn’t know what was going on, but he knew that he didn’t like it. 

Takashi glanced over quickly, keeping his eyes primarily on the road. “You okay?” 

“Y-Yeah, just… the last time I was the passenger in a car, I…” Lance’s voice drifted off, swallowing back as his body was consumed by overwhelming discomfort.

He sat upright, loosening the collar of his shirt, and pulling the seat belt away from himself. 

Everything felt so suffocating. 

His sporadic breathing quickly deepened, and he felt as if soundless sobs were escaping from the back of his throat.

“You’re having a panic attack,” Takashi said, his voice cool and casual. “You’ll be alright.” 

Lance hadn’t noticed that the car had been pulled off to the side of the road. 

They had since arrived to the center of town, and Takashi had found a vacant space to pull into, allowing Lance time to calm down.

Takashi turned to face Lance, a firm hand placed supportively on his shoulder. “It’s okay, Sweetie,” 

“Sweetie,” Lance repeated, through his irregular breaths, “Th-That’s the name of my c-cat.”

“Tell me more about her,” Takashi said. 

“Um,” Lance tried to picture the cat in his mind, “She’s fluffy, a-and white. She has, uh, a pink nose, and… and green eyes.”

“She sounds very pretty,” Takashi replied, his voice soft and gentle, “What’s her personality like?” 

“She’s a nice cat… She seemed a little mean at first, b-but she warmed up to people quickly.” 

Takashi gently ran his hand along Lance’s upper back in a soothing motion. 

“You did a good job of making her feel safe,” Takashi said, and when Lance only smiled meekly in response, he continued to speak, “Keith showed me the ring you got him.”

“R-Really?” 

“Uh-huh,” Takashi smiled as he spoke, “I worked late that night, but he stayed up just to tell me all about the date you guys had.” 

Lance’s smile grew a bit more, “He did? R-Really?”

Takashi nodded his head, “It was cute, he was showing off the ring and everything. It sounds like the two of you had a good time.” 

“Yeah, we did,” Lance replied, his breathing slowly beginning to calm down. “He really liked it? Heh... I knew he would b-but I was kinda worried he’d think it was dumb.” 

“Believe me, he definitely loved it,” Takashi reached to the side, and unbuckled Lance’s seat belt for him. “Why don’t we step out and get some air?” 

Lance nodded his head quickly, “P-Please,” 

Takashi stepped out of the car first. He walked around the vehicle until he arrived at Lance’s door, and then he pulled it open. 

When Lance stepped out, the cool wind was refreshing against his burning hot temperature. He had felt himself beginning to sweat, which had only increased his feelings of nausea. 

“Is talking through it helping, or do you want me to shut up?” Takashi asked. 

“It’s, uh, helping, I think,” Lance replied. 

Takashi leaned against the car, placing a hand on Lance’s back once more, “Panic attacks generally only last less than ten minutes, so don’t worry, it’s going to be over soon.” 

Lance swallowed back, and nodded his head, “C-Can you talk a little? It’s distracting so… M-Maybe tell me about how you and Adam met.” 

Takeshi smiled at the request, quickly complying. 

“We met in university. We had some classes together, and I thought he was cute. He ended up asking me out first, though, which really surprised me. So we went on a couple dates and we were really getting along. But we ended up losing contact for a couple years when I dropped out of school to raise Keith after our dad died.” 

“O-Oh,” Lance mumbled quietly. 

“We met again, of course. I was twenty-two, at the gym, and I noticed this familiar looking guy. I went up to him, we ended up talking for awhile, I explained things, and we just immediately picked up where we left off.”

“You… You guys have been together for a long time then, huh?” 

Takashi nodded, “This is our ninth year together, believe it or not.” 

Lance raised his eyebrows, letting out a surprised gasp, “Ninth?! Man, you guys really are old.” 

“Hey, watch it, you’ll make an old man self-conscious,” 

Lance laughed, “Yeah, sorry. It’s really great you guys have been together so long, though.” 

“Who knows, the same could be said for you and Keith nine years from now.” 

“You’ll _reeeeeaally_ be old by then.” 

Jokingly, Takashi reached forward and smacked Lance’s arm, “Maybe I should tell Keith that he’s too young to be dating, after all.” 

“I’m joking, I’m joking!” Lance insisted, “You’re young, so young! Thirty-one is the new twenty! You still have so much ahead of you!” 

As Takashi laughed along, he shook his head lightly. He was so used to the antics of Lance by then that it brought about a light nostalgia from the times when Lance was just a child, often saying just as many filter-less phrases. 

“How’re you feeling now?” Takashi asked. 

Though he hadn’t noticed it until then, Lance’s breathing had returned to its usual pace, and the overwhelming compression in his chest had faded, with only a slight bit of nausea lingering behind. 

“I feel a lot better,” Lance answered, “I just realized that you talked me right through it… Kinda helped me forget it was even happening.” 

Takashi ruffled Lance’s hair gently with his hand, “I’ve had a lot of experience.” 

Lance smiled meekly. He admittedly felt embarrassed by the meltdown, though a sense of relief was to follow soon after. 

Of all people to be emotionally vulnerable around, Lance was glad that it could be Takashi, who was no stranger to such sights. 

“Thanks, Shiro, I probably would’ve freaked out a lot more if you weren’t here with me.” 

“No problem, buddy,” Takashi said, putting a loose arm around the boy’s shoulder, “What’d’ya say we walk the rest of the way there?” 

Lance agreed immediately.

* * *

Thankfully, the remaining distance to the park was a short one, and they arrived soon after. 

Takashi wasn’t fully sure why they were there or where they were heading but he followed Lance’s lead regardless, as he marched the length of the festival with unmatched certainty. 

When they arrived to their destination, Takashi was quick to stop in his tracks.

Behind the stall of a monster movie booth was a familiar looking man, only now he was much older than the last time Takashi had seen him. 

James Griffin. The child that had often been the cause of Keith’s panic attacks at school, and the reason Takashi had to miss so much work to tend to him. 

Caring for Keith was one thing that Takashi would never complain about. He loved his brother and would do anything to make him feel safe. 

But the financial struggle had been a dreadful stress on him, and missing work because some little punk thought it was funny to traumatize his child was reason enough for Takashi to have grown a dislike for him. 

At the time, transferring Keith just wasn’t an option. There were only two schools in Cosmos. The elementary school, and the high school. 

“That’s the next heart I have to heal.” Lance explained quietly. 

Takashi had been pulled from his long train of thought, his eyes widened in shock. 

“ _James Griffin_ is your next heart?” 

“I know,” Lance grumbled, “I tried to get a reassignment but they wouldn’t let me.” 

“Does Keith know?” 

Lance nodded his head. “He told me just to go for it, and to forget about the past but I don’t think I can. I wanted to come here and talk to him first. If he shows any sort of remorse for the things he said and did then maybe healing him won’t be impossible, y’know?” 

Though he initially hesitated to, Takashi nodded his head with understanding. “So you’re hoping he’s changed? I guess it’s possible now that he’s an adult.”

“Yeah,” Lance replied, “If he could just apologize to Keith, and like, be sincere about it… then healing his heart won’t feel so wrong.”

It was hard for him to do so, but Takashi agreed. Only for Keith’s sake, and for the sake of keeping Lance safe and alive on earth. 

“I’ll go with you,” Takashi said. “If he’s anything like he used to be then you’ll need the help.” 

Surprised at first, a large grin then grew across Lance’s face shortly after. 

Intimidating as it may be for him to confront James, Lance could feel assured knowing that he had Takashi, and his muscles, on his side. _Thank God._

The two approached James slowly and casually, so as to not give off a completely aggressive aura. The attempt appeared to be in vain, however, as James immediately tensed up once his gaze had locked with theirs. 

His eyes narrowing in caution, James lowered his gaze back to the tabletop of the booth and pretended that he hadn’t noticed the two. 

But Lance wasn’t going to let himself be ignored. 

“Hey,” Lance greeted with a firm tone. 

Once again, James glanced up, his expression vacant and unreadable. 

“Hey.” He replied curtly. 

There was no doubting that James immediately recognized both men, and that he wanted to avoid any confrontation that they offered. 

“Can I help you with something, or?” James spoke up again, this time his tone suggesting impatience. 

“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you.” Lance replied. 

“If this is about yesterday,” James began to speak, getting right to the point. “I already told you that I didn’t realize that it was you and Kogane, otherwise I wouldn’t have done the jump scare bit.” 

“It’s not just that,” Lance said, “Do you like, have a minute or whatever?” 

James’ gaze shifted between the two men with narrowed suspicion. He couldn’t quite seem to understand what they wanted from him, but he clearly wasn’t liking it. 

He held a pen in his right hand, which he had habitually been clicking in and out since before the conversation had begun. 

“I’m busy.” He eventually replied.

“Well when are you not busy? Because this is pretty important.” Lance said, growing impatient. 

James clicked his pen one last time and set it down on the booth top beside him. 

“What do you have to say that could possibly be so important?” James was reaching the end of his patience as well. He stood from his seat at the booth, his hands pressed flat against its top. “Just say what you want to say and get it over with. I’m. Busy.” 

Lance felt himself begin to grit his teeth in irritation. He knew whatever he said next wouldn’t matter. His efforts would be futile.

After only a moment of speaking to him, Lance already knew that James was an unchanged man. The same bitter child he had been ten years ago. 

“He wants you to apologize to Keith.” Takashi cut in, sensing that Lance was reaching his wits end. “Not just for last night but for everything over the years.” 

“Huh?” James raised an eyebrow, rolling his eyes in a dramatic fashion. 

“Did he stutter?” Lance couldn’t resist getting a retort in.

“This is stupid,” James said, “Apologize for what?” 

“You know exactly what I mean, James. You’re smarter than that.” Takashi replied. 

“Because of some stupid stuff that happened when we were kids?” James asked.

Lance propped his hands on the edge of the booth, his face mere inches from James as he yelled back in response, “Maybe it seems stupid to you but it had a really big effect on him! All that trauma is something he’s still struggling with and dickweeds like you are no help!” 

“I’m not going to waste my breath apologizing for something that happened ten years ago,” James replied, his volume matching Lance’s, which no doubt attracted a lot of attention to them. “If he’s still struggling with it, then that’s _his_ problem, not mi-“ 

Before James could finish his sentence, Lance’s tightened fist had made contact with his jaw, sending him hurling to the ground. 

A bitter sting was left behind on Lance’s knuckle, but he was numb to the intensity, glaring down at James as if he were the scum of the earth. 

Because, through Lance’s eyes, in that moment heated with hatred, he truly was.


	7. James Griffin Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry with how long this chapter took, and that it's a bit rushed as well. I have another bout of writers block (I'm blaming James for this) but I'm glad to be done with this little arc of the story because things will really fly from here! Thanks for reading this far and I hope you enjoy!

“You punched him? Literally just straight up punched him?” 

Lance couldn’t tell if Keith was amused or shocked- or maybe even a mix of the two, but he felt a shred of shame as he nodded his head in response. 

He had been impatient, and lost his cool during a critical moment. He could have ruined his entire trial on earth with one, single hit, and worse yet, he could have lost Keith’s respect. 

“I can’t believe you,” Keith said, and as he promptly burst into a fit of laughter, Lance felt his tense shoulders easing. 

The corners of Lance’s lips threatened to curl into a smile but he fought back the urge. “You’re not mad?” 

“What? No, I wish I could’ve seen it.” Keith said, sitting upright on the corner of Lance’s bed, “But what happened after that?” 

“So much at once, you wouldn’t believe it.” 

A sigh escaped Lance’s mouth as he plopped down onto the center of the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Keith joined him shortly after, laying comfortably beside him with their heads gently resting together. 

“Well? Go on,” Keith urged him. “Tell me everything.”

“Well, right after I punched James, your brother pulled me back to calm me down, and you’ll never guess who showed up right after that.”

* * *

A light sting coursed through Lance’s knuckles that he had only just begun to notice. 

His opposite arm was being pulled back by Takashi’s firm grip that he couldn’t free himself from even if he had wanted to.

It had all happened much faster than he had realized.

James was speaking, spewing words of pure ignorance, and then just like that, he was laying on the ground, gripping onto the budding bruise upon his chin. 

Lance had never been a particularly violent person, and he tried to be patient and understanding at all times.

He was the one most surprised by his actions, yet a part of him didn’t regret what he had done. 

“Oh my God! What happened?!” A shrill voice squealed out- the pitch as unpleasant as nails running down a chalkboard. 

Lance suddenly felt a push at his side as a familiar ginger-haired girl hurried to get to James. 

The rest of the people surrounding then didn’t seem to take notice of the situation, or, perhaps they had and were turning a blind eye to it. 

Juni was the one exception, but maybe that was because of her love for discourse. Lance couldn’t be too sure. 

She helped James up to his feet but he was quick to brush the girl off. His expression, a mixture teetering between anger and hurt, had caused Lance to feel a pang of guilt over his impulsive actions. 

“Lance, you alright?” Takashi asked, finally loosening his grip on Lance’s arm.

“Yeah, sorry, I lost it.” Lance mumbled.

“I’m not so sure this method will work very well for healing hearts, hm?” 

“I know, I know.” Lance grumbled, “I didn’t plan to, it just… happened. You heard what he was saying.” 

“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve wanted to smack some sense into this kid since he was a nine year old, but you have to practice patience if you want this trial to go anywhere.” 

“Yeah, you’re right…"

In that moment, Lance admired Takashi's patience more than anything, but somehow, he felt it breaking his own confidence as a result.

If healing hearts had been a job left to someone like Takashi instead of him, then he was sure that the man would have the trial done within days. And yet, as the end of October crept closer and closer, Lance felt himself struggling heavily on only the third heart that he'd been assigned.

By that point, Juni had left James' side and approached Lance with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hey, Juni," Lance greeted in a forcefully casual tone, "Uh, sup?"

"What's up? _What's up?_ " The girl mocked, her eyes narrowed as she pushed a finger against Lance's chest. "I should be the one asking _you_ that! What's up with just randomly punching James?!"

"I mean, it really wasn't that random, to be fair-" Lance began to reply, but he was cut short.

"No buts about it! Isn't poor James going through enough already?!" Juni pushed her finger more forcefully, her eyebrows knit tightly as her tone continually raised.

"What do you mean by that?" Lance asked.

But Juni didn't have time to answer. James had since arrived to the group, pulling Juni's hand away from Lance's chest. "That's enough, Juni. Seriously."

"Listen, James, I-" Lance attempted to speak, but he was once again cut off.

"I don't want to hear it." James stated, curtly. "The two of you made your point, now leave."

"If I left now then I wouldn't be proving any point but yours." Lance stated stubbornly. "I shouldn't have punched you just now. I lost my cool, but- that doesn't excuse it. I'm sorry, James. Are you alright?"

James stared vacantly at Lance for a moment, his mouth somewhat agape. His grip on Juni's wrist had weakened until finally she was able to pull herself free from his grasp, shooting him a frustrated glance in the meantime.

"It's fine, I don't care." James eventually responded, his expression returning to cold and uncaring.

"If you don't mind my asking," Takashi spoke up, paying careful attention to each word James spoke, and each small action he took, "What does she mean by you're going through enough already?"

Juni's shoulders had perked up in a panicked manner, and it was clear to see that she was only then realizing that she had revealed something that she shouldn't have. Despite this, James' outward appearance made no notable change.

"She seems to have this idea in her head that I should be in shambles over my father dying," James said, his tone so causal that it was almost easy to miss the weight of his words. "She doesn't get it, no matter how many times I tell her, that it doesn't make any difference to me."

"Still, James! He's your dad!" Juni persisted, to which James groaned and rolled his eyes.

"I barely know him, why would I care?" James grumbled, and there was sincerity in his tone. He genuinely didn't seem to care.

_I guess not everybody has a good dad, or really even knows their dad at all, so I get why he wouldn't be bothered, but could he just be putting up a front? His heart has to be broken for some reason, after all._

"I'm sorry to hear," Lance said, not sure what other words he could offer in the situation, but since James didn't particularly seem effected, he decided to prod deeper. "He wasn't around much when you were little, or?"

James raised an eyebrow, and Lance knew that his over-interest in the topic had immediately come across as suspicious. Regardless, James answered.

"No, he wasn't there at all. I just met him a couple of years ago," James answered, and before anyone could reply, he continued, "And don't try to use this as some psychoanalysis crap as to how it shaped me as a person, or something, alright? My mom raised me by herself and we were always happy and well taken care of. We didn't need my dad, and I still don't. So him being on his deathbed? Means zero to me."

"Huh. Okay," Lance mumbled in reply, not sure what point James was trying to make.

_So you know that you're an asshole and there's nothing to blame but yourself? Self-awareness is key, I guess._

"Well, still, I'm sorry to hear." Lance replied, though he knew that his words had no meaning to the other boy.

"I am as well," Takashi had added, "And kudos to your mother for raising you on her own. That's not easy at all."

"Yeah, you'd know all about that single mom struggle, huh?" Lance teased, nudging Takashi's arm with his elbow. He received an eye roll and light laugh in return.

James, however, had raised his eyebrows, as if he were suddenly making a new mental connection. He quickly changed the subject. "So if you wanted me to apologize to Keith then why isn't he here?"

"I didn't want him to feel bad if you were a jerk about it," Lance answered bluntly, "And, also, I mean, he's at work right now, so like, yeah."

Most unexpectedly of all, James replied, in a tone both firm and impatient, "So how am I supposed to apologize to him then?"

* * *

"So yeah, that's about it."

Lance had just finished summarizing things up, as he and Keith remained huddled close in the comfort of his bed. He had his arm wrapped loosely around Keith's shoulder, and Keith was mindlessly fiddling with the tips of Lance's fingers.

"What do you mean that's it?" Keith asked.

"That's it, that's all, story over, here's what you missed on Glee," Lance replied.

Keith groaned and rolled his eyes, "What did you tell him after he asked how he's supposed to apologize? Unless you literally just walked away, that's really not the end of the story."

"Oh," Lance laughed, "Sorry, thought it was obvious. I invited him over."

"You _what?_ " The movements of Keith's hands had suddenly come to a halt, causing Lance to tense and freeze up.

"Should I... Should I not have done that?"

Keith remained silent for a moment, and then, he simply replied, "No, it's fine. I'm just surprised, that's all."

"Sorry, babe, I should have asked first. I was just kind of shocked he even agreed to apologize in the first place."

"Babe?" Keith repeated, he then resumed twirling Lance's fingers with his own, "Did you just call me babe?"

"Yeah, I did," Lance replied. He intertwined his fingers with Keith's, and pressed their palms together. "Like it?"

Keith turned his face towards Lance's, their lips lingering only inches apart. He smiled softly, the sensation of his breath warm against Lance's skin. "Yes," he replied, "I like it."

The gap between their lips was then mutually bridged, softly meeting in the middle with a delicate push. Their locked fingers continued to fiddle with each others playfully as they kissed, and then kissed some more.

Eventually pulling his lips away with a hesitant lingering, Lance pressed his forehead against Keith's, the tips of their noses brushing with tender care. 

"You sure you're okay with this?" Lance asked.

"You don't always have to treat me with such caution, Lance," Keith replied. "I can easily handle this."

"I know," Lance smiled, "You're tough as hell."

"Besides, the sooner we get this one over with, the better."

"Yeah, I'm still pretty clueless about how we'll tackle things once he apologizes but, I don't know, I'm feeling pretty confident even just making this much progress."

"Exactly," Keith replied, "Progress is progress."

The silence that followed seemed to be a mutual invitation for the two to resume their affectionate gestures of love, but before lips could meet lips, a knock at the door put a halt to their plans. Keith sighed, a dread-filled groan escaping the back of his throat.

"I guess he's here," Lance commented, though he shortly followed it with a much desired, yet fleeting, kiss. "To be continued?"

"Next time on Glee," Keith teased right back, immediately causing Lance's face to light up.

"I _knew_ you watched that show." 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm gay and had basic cable. Go answer the door already, so we can get this over with."

Lance quickly complied with Keith's command, loosely prying his hand apart from his, as he approached the door and swung it open. Though they had known that it would be James, it still somehow came across as a surprise to see him standing there on the other side of the door. He looked out of place, and the expression upon his face only deepened that strange feeling.

Not the same tough, and resentful face he usually wore, something about James looked more vulnerable than he ever had before. He felt more real. More human, even. 

"You weren't kidding," James said, looking around the room with a curious wonder. "You really do live in an old schoolhouse."

"Did you think I was pranking you?" Lance asked, and then he snickered, "That would've been pretty funny, actually."

James simply grunted in response, his eyes still surveying the room around them. He avoided looking directly at either boy, and after a moment of this, Lance stood aside, and waved his arm inward toward the room, gesturing for James to enter.

"Come on in," Lance said, and though he came across as wanting to be anywhere else in the world, James still took a step inside, his hands remaining stiffly in his jacket pockets.

"I already filled Keith in on everything that happened today," Lance continued to speak, the silent air of the room quickly shifting the mood into an awkward one. "So, like, he already knows why you're here and stuff. Thought it might make things a little less, y'know, awks or whatever."

Despite that, it did not make the mood any less awks or whatever.

"Okay." James replied curtly, his eyes still not fully focused on Keith, who remained silent in the meantime. "Uh, guess I should just get right into it, then."

"That's the spirit, just jump right into it. Right from the heart, no pressure. Better be good." Lance stated.

Finally, James looked upwards, his eyes making uncomfortable contact with Keith's, his lips as tightly pursed together as the rest of his stiff body language. "As you already know, I was uh, a pretty big jerk to you, back in elementary,"

Keith nodded his head along.

"Solid start but like, try elaborating a little more," Lance said, at risk of poking the bear and making things worse, "Acknowledge in what way exactly you were a quote on quote, 'big jerk', your words."

With a sigh, James shot Lance a quick side-eye before he continued, "I bullied you, I triggered you purposely, embarrassed you in front of other kids, provoked you, turned the other kids against you," his voice trailed off as he listed all of his wrong-doings, "Just about everything there was to do, I did it. It was wrong, I knew it was wrong, and I shouldn't have done it. I don't know why I did it, but whatever- I did it and if I could take it back, I would. I know you might not believe me when I say this, but I really am sorry for everything I said and did back then. I'm not the same person anymore- it won't happen again."

The room became blanketed in a long, long silence following James' apology. Nobody moved, nobody spoke. His words carried a heavy weight, requiring some time to fully process and soak them in.

"How do I know that you're not the same person anymore?" Keith eventually asked, "Especially after how things went yesterday- even earlier today between you and Lance."

James shrugged his shoulders, "I guess you can say I just had an epiphany today, of how bad things were for you, and how worse I made it. I was too stubborn to see it before, but I get it now."

Keith raised his eyebrows with interest, "So what made you realize?"

"A combination of things," James explained, "Seeing how much Lance and your brother care about you, and would do anything for you, it reminded me of back then. Only now I'm an adult, and I can see the weight of things I said and did that didn't seem like a big deal at the time."

"Why did you do it?" Keith had to ask, and though he wasn't sure if there even was an answer to his question, it was something he had wondered from time-to-time, and something that had plagued his mind as a child.

James opened his mouth, but no words came out. It was clear that he didn't know the answer. Still, he shrugged a shoulder while lightly shaking his head from side to side. "I really don't know. For a sense of superiority, I guess?"

"That sounds about right," Lance replied quietly.

Again, James shot him a look, a defeated sigh to follow. "I don't expect you to forgive me but Lance wasn't wrong when he said I owed you an apology about, well, everything spanning from childhood until now. I'm sorry, Keith."

Keith remained quiet again, though his expression remained on the less-intense side as he silently gave thought to the words.

Eventually, he spoke up, "I forgive you," Keith stated simply, "Let it be known that it's not easy but still, I forgive you. It's not a weight I want to carry around any more than you do."

"Are you sure?" Lance asked, his hand delicately placed on Keith's arm.

Keith nodded his head, smiling lightly at Lance, "Why complicate things?"

As he said it, Lance knew immediately that it was in reference to the trial, and not his personal issues with James. He smiled in return, his heart feeling a deep swell of love for Keith. Though James had pointed out that Lance would do anything for Keith, Lance knew well that the opposite was just as true.

"Thanks," James replied shortly, and the attention returned to him.

"You seem sincere, so," Keith said, "No reason to dwell on the past anymore."

James nodded, "I mean it when I said I've changed- or, at least that I want to."

"Why now?" Lance asked, "Not that it's a bad thing, obviously."

"I don't want to be like my dad," James explained, "On his deathbed with nobody giving a shit because he treated other people like crap his whole life. I guess I saw myself heading down that path, and I don't want to."

Lance and Keith exchanged a curious look with each other- _a clue?_ They both seemed to have the same thought.

"I guess that's been weighing on you a lot lately, huh? His death is only bugging you 'cause you don't want to go out the same way?" Lance asked in a casual tone.

"Exactly. I don't care if he dies, and that's the part that messes me up. I don't want to be like him- having people think, 'thank god', when I'm dead."

"So apologizing to Keith is kind of like the beginning of a new path for you? One where you don't totally suck?" Lance asked, an eyebrow raised.

"More or less, yeah." James answered.

"Why don't we help you?" Keith asked, which earned him a confused look from both boys.

"Why would you want to help me?" James questioned, his eyebrows furrowed with suspicion.

Keith shrugged his shoulders, "It's a nice thing to do."

Despite what his words suggested, Lance quickly understood Keith's real intentions, as he had had the same idea.

James Griffin's heart wasn't broken by his dying father, it wasn't broken by any other person by himself. It was broken because he was dissatisfied with himself. He was aware that he was not a good person. If Lance and Keith could help him on his journey to change and become a better person, then they could change his heart as well, thus healing it. It was all becoming clear.

"Yeah, some of us are good people, James," Lance teased. "But, for real, it's easier to take a big step if you have help from others."

"I don't even know where I'd begin." James said, his tone already suggesting defeat.

"I think I might have an idea," Lance replied, tapping his index finger against his chin.

The room became held in silent anticipation as Lance smirked to himself, suddenly filled with an overwhelming confidence that assured him that everything was going to work out perfectly.

* * *

Before they had known it, two hours had quickly passed by. 

Lance's idea was simple, or so he had thought. 

He had suggested that James make a list of all the people that he had wronged at some point in his life. It began easily. He had started the list with Keith, and was already able to put a check-mark beside his name, as he had already given him an apology. And then he had some deeper thinking to do, about all the past discourse and drama that he had been involved in. Eventually, the list had grown.

In the meantime, Keith sat sleepily on the floor at the foot of the bed, his eyes slowly fluttering closed every now and then. Above him sat Lance on the edge of the bed, playing mindlessly with his long, black hair.

James continued to scribble at his sheet of paper, stopping every few minutes to think.

"Are you listing every person in America or what?" Lance asked, "Are you secretly a Trump relative?"

"I'm almost done," James grumbled.

The sudden conversation had garnered Keith's attention, and he lifted his head upwards, staring back at Lance. "What time is it?" he asked.

"It's almost eleven," Lance answered, bringing his face closer to Keith's. He stopped himself upon remembering that they weren't alone.

"So how long have you guys been dating?" James asked, briefly glancing up from his list. When his question was met with an awkward silence, he raised an eyebrow and added, "What? Part of becoming a better person is pretending to care about that kind of stuff, isn't it?"

"I mean, ehhh," Lance held his hand straight out, turning it from side-to-side. "You don't have to ask if you really don't care."

"It's kind of intriguing, I guess," James replied, "I never expected it, anyway." 

"We're going steady," Lance answered, "We have been for awhile."

"What the hell is going steady?" James asked.

"It's like pre-dating."

"I don't get it. Why don't you just date?"

"It's complicated," Keith answered.

"Yeah," Lance agreed. "Also, part of being a good person is no judgement, James. We need to start like, a judgy jar or something. We could really make some bank off of this."

James rolled his eyes, and Lance pointed towards him. "Ah-ah-ah! That would be another quarter!"

"I think I'm done my list," James said, completely ignoring Lance's last comment. "It's not too long, actually."

Lance quickly hopped off the bed and hurried to the desk to catch a glimpse of James' list. Keith followed just behind him.

The list read:

 **People to say sorry to:**  
1\. keith kogane ✓  
2\. juni  
3\. ryan kinkade  
4\. grandma griffin  
5\. beast_king_2003  
6\. mom  


"I have so many questions right now," Lance said, his eyes reading over the six names again and again. "It took you two hours to come up with this?"

"Hey, no judgement." James retorted with a cocky smirk. "Well, whatever. If I apologize to everyone on this list then I'll actually feel like a changed person, and any trace of my father will be gone."

Keith rubbed his sleepy eyes, blinking a few times in an attempt to clear his vision. "What did you do to them all?"

"It doesn't matter right now," James replied, "I'll tell you as we go along the list."

"Okay, we can start tomorrow," Lance said, his hand lightly placed on Keith's back. "It's getting late."

James nodded his head, and stood from the desk, his list still in hand. "Yeah, I should be going now, anyway. I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, see you," Lance replied.

Before the door to the schoolhouse had fully shut upon James' departure, Keith was already snugly wrapped beneath the blankets of Lance's bed, his eyes shut with the threat of sleepiness whisking him away at any moment.

Lance looked down at him, a soft smile on his lips, before he curled up beside him, an arm lazily around his waist. "Before you fall asleep, can I ask you something?"

"Hm?" Keith grumbled, one eye slowly opening.

"Do you really forgive him?"

Keith reached a hand forward, gently cupping Lance's cheek in his palm. By then, he could hardly keep an eye open at all.

"For the sake of your trial, yes," Keith responded.

Lance placed his hand on top of Keith's, pressing their foreheads together as he inched closer. "But otherwise?"

"He's not someone you forgive and forget so easily."

"You don't have to force yourself for my sake." Lance replied.

"Call me crazy but I want you to live," Keith said, almost laughing, "It'll be fine."

Lance turned his face to the side, his lips gently dragging across Keith's hand until he reached the center of his palm which he then met with a delicate but brief kiss. He felt the cold hardness of Keith's ring rubbing against his cheek, and once again, his heart was more full of love than he knew what to do with.

How he should express these feelings to Keith without using the words 'I love you'- he wasn't sure. He was more of the blunt honest type. Instead, he continued to hold Keith's hand in his as he brought them down to the space in between them. Then, he closed his eyes, feeling the weight of the day beginning to take it's toll on him.

"Goodnight, Keith," Lance whispered, though he knew it was too late to receive a response. Keith was already fast asleep, his deep breaths having already given it away.

* * *

"Lance, wake up," 

A gentle shaking put an immediate halt to Lance's dream- the contents of which he forgot as soon as his eyes opened to the bright sunlight peering in through his window.

"I'm awake," Lance groaned, his voice still deep and drowsy with sleepiness.

"James is already here. He's waiting in the living room."

Lance quickly sat up, "What?! Already?"

"It's already ten," Keith said. "You've been sleeping like a rock."

"Oh." Lance mumbled. He smiled cheekily as he glanced up at Keith. "Good morning kiss?"

"Only if you hurry and get dressed."

"Fiiiine."

It wasn't as if it took Lance long to dress, anyway, though the incentive certainly helped to fasten his pace. He settled on a simple outfit: jeans, a quarter-sleeve top, and an oversized sweater to complete the look. Simple, warm, and perfect for the autumn air.

"Cute," Keith commented upon seeing it. Then, he stepped forward, giving Lance his previously requested morning kiss, which was happily reciprocated.

"I guess we should get this show on the road, then," Lance said, "Not gonna lie, I'm surprised he came back."

"He must be pretty serious," Keith commented with a light shrug. "Lets go."

As stated, James had been awaiting the arrival of the two in the living room. Sweetie was taking a mild interest in him, but she still kept the apprehensive distance from him that she kept with most strangers. Once the other two had entered the room, the cat's interest immediately fell to Lance, who could sadly only pay her brief attention before departing.

Things began simply. They decided to work from the top of the list and gradually make their way to the bottom.

The second person listed had been Juni, whom they had found located at the park, enjoying the last bits of the autumn festival before it closed for yet another year.

Initially, she had no idea why James was apologizing to her.

His reasoning was quite simple. He was a jerk to her, and had treated her with little respect, despite their years of friendship.

But Juni was easy to win over, and quickly accepted the apology. She didn't hold anything against James, and for whatever reason in the world, she had continued to be his friend throughout the years despite his attitude.

Her name was promptly met with a checkmark. And so, the three moved on.

Next came Ryan Kinkade, another high school classmate that both Keith and Lance had also remembered, though not too fondly, as they had recalled him being a friend of James. What they were unaware of, however, was that the two had a falling out shortly after graduating. Ryan had grown tired of James' bad attitude and drama, and had cut him off when he had had enough of it.

James had stubbornly let things end there, immediately blaming Ryan as the cause of their friendship ending. But, over time he had learned to accept that he was problem in the relationship, but perhaps he had known deep down all along, and was too stubborn to admit it.

Ryan wasn't the talkative type, but even he needed a little convincing to believe that James was not the same person that he used to be, and that his promises to change were more than some sweet sounding lies.

That was where Keith and Lance came in.

Despite the sour taste it left in their mouths, the two vouched for him.

"He really is changing," Lance had said.

"Believe me of all people when I say that it's true." Keith had added.

"Hm," Ryan mumbled, giving a single nod.

"So you'll forgive me?" James asked, a smile broadening over this face. Ryan grunted in response once more and James added, "Thanks, Ryan. You won't regret it."

Keith and Lance exchanged a confused look with each other, shrugging their shoulders in unison.

_Well, whatever. At least things are working out so far._

The next on the list was the aging, senile grandma Griffin. As James had explained to the two, his need to apologize came from years of ignoring her calls and messages, a notion that he grew to regret upon learning that she was going through the early stages of dementia.

Grandma Griffin was easy to find forgiveness, to say the least, given that she went through waves of forgetting who James was every few moments. She repeated the same questions several times over, and her focus hardly last longer than a moment.

Regardless, each time James said the phrase, 'I'm sorry' to her, she smiled sweetly and replied, "Now what on earth do you have to be sorry for, dear?"

Though it wasn't as satisfying as the other outcomes, a win was a win, and the group eventually had to accept that they had done all they could to earn the forgiveness of grandma Griffin.

Then came the second last of the list, beast_king_2003.

"So let me get this straight," Lance said, eyeing over the list. "You cyber-bullied this kid off of twitter?"

"More or less." James replied, "It was like, five years ago."

"So how do you plan on contacting him?"

"He still actively goes by the same name on instragram." James explained, "I'm just going to try to dm him, and hope for a response."

"Couldn't hurt," Lance response, and Keith agreed.

James' written message took him nearly thirty minutes to write. He thought over each word carefully, making sure that his intentions came through clearly and wouldn't leave any room for misinterpretation.

He wrote:

_Hey, I don't know if you remember me by now, but it's James from twitter. Five years ago, I bullied you off of your account. Over the years, I've thought about it a lot, and I really regret everything I said back then. I feel terribly about it. I was young, dumb, and uneducated. I should never have treated you like that. I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me. Thanks for reading this far._

He allowed Lance and Keith to read over it briefly before he hit send, and both approved it with an eager thumbs up.

Ten minutes later, a response came in.

It said:

_kys_  
_also your mom is a whore_

"Oh, wow." Lance said, staring at the message in wonder. "I guess you can't win them all."

Keith tightly pursed his lips together, stifling a laugh. Obviously it was no laughing matter but- damn, it was kind of funny.

"I thought it was a good apology, what else am I supposed to say?" James grumbled.

Lance gave a shrug, "Honestly? You're gonna have to accept that not everyone is going to be willing to forgive you."

"But I apologized." James said.

"Sometimes it's not enough," Keith interjected, "Sometimes it's not easy to forgive someone for years of bad behaviour just because of one apology."

James went quiet, his eyes fixated on his phone before he glanced up at Keith through narrowed eyes. "You don't forgive me either, do you?"

Keith didn't respond, but his silence said enough.

"Fine, don't forgive me, whatever." James grumbled. "Why are you even here then?"

"He's _trying_ to forgive you, James," Lance cut in, sensing that the mood would soon escalate. "Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is trust."

James rolled his eyes, "This was all doomed from the start, wasn't it? I'm just destined to be my fathers carbon copy until the day I die, alone and hated."

"Don't get like this just because two of your six apologies haven't gone exactly the way you wanted. You knew what you were getting into." Keith said.

James shoved his phone into his pocket, "I'm giving up on this. It's dumb."

"Woah, woah, woah," Lance placed his hands on his hips, "You are **not** giving up when you've gotten this far already. We are going to finish this list. Right. Now. We only have one more name to go."

James gritted his teeth together, his fists tightly at his sides. After a moment, he took a deep breath, exhaling loudly as he resigned to his fate. "Fine. We'll finish the list."

The last name on the list was James' mother. He was currently on good terms with her, but he felt the need to apologize, anyway. The truth was that he was a poor excuse of a son, at least for an adult one. He still had a childish, spoiled attitude, and his mother did everything for him. Despite that, he never once thanked her, or offered a helping hand.

He had asked Keith and Lance to wait outside as he gave his final apology, and they were in no place to deny his request. They sat in waiting outside on the steps of the front porch.

"Do you think this is all going to work out?" Lance asked in an attempt to pass the time.

"The apology?"

"Like, all of the apologies," Lance explained. "Do you think it's really going to heal his heart?"

Keith tilted his head to the side with curiousity, "Having some last minutes doubts?"

Lance nodded his head.

"I'm positive it's the key," Keith responded. "James is so vain that the only person who could ever break his heart is himself."

Snorting as he held back a laugh, Lance said, "That's a good point, but what if not earning everybodies forgiveness means his heart will stay broken?"

"Then I can pretend to forgive him, and we can make a fake online account of that kid and pretend to forgive him there, too."

"That's so devious, Keith," Lance snickered. "I love it, though."

"I can't wait to be through with his heart already."

"Me too, I hope the rest are just all the other stray cats in town."

Keith laughed, "You won't have any more room in the school house for that many more cats."

"Guess I'll have to sleep outside," Lance joked.

Just then, the front door to the household opened up. Lance and Keith both quickly stood.

James exited the house, the look on his face possibly the softest that they had ever seen it look before.

"Hey, it go well in there?" Lance asked.

"Yeah, obviously, it's my mom." James replied. "She practically started crying."

"So you're gonna start being less of a pain to her now, huh?" Lance said, "Otherwise the apology, y'know, means nothing."

"Obviously," James said. "But whatever, besides the point. I guess she kinda made me feel better about the people who don't forgive me. It's like, as long as the people close to me do forgive me, then working on everything after that is a lot easier to handle."

"One day, maybe, I'll forgive you," Keith replied, "It's not like I'm trying to hold a grudge but... I think I need to see it to believe it first."

James nodded his head, "I can live with that."

_Ping_

A soft, blue light began to glow from James' chest, and in the center was a sparkling pink heart.

"Oh thank god," Lance breathed a sigh of relief, despite how baffled James was, shooting looks of confusion between the two other boys.

The heart then burst into a pile of confetti, and amongst it was a small slip of white paper.

It read:

**It takes a village to heal a self-broken heart.**

Congratulations, Lance McClain. You have completed your assignment.

The heart of James Griffin is healing.

**Seventeen Hearts Remain.**


	8. The Heart of Romelle Amue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As it turns out, James really was a curse. My writers block completely disappeared after finishing his story, and whipping this one off right after was super quick and easy! Hope you enjoy it!

Inhale. 

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

Exhale. 

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

Halloween night was always the same way. Year after year. It never got any easier. 

Donned in the costumes of vampires, witches, ghosts, and all other sorts of creepy beings, children went to the streets, going from door to door in pursuit of candy.

The houses were decorated accordingly. Cobwebs, bloodied handprints, and sometimes even dummy corpses, were thrown across the yards. The more ambitious neighbours would put up lights, blasting haunting music all afternoon and evening. 

Despite how small the town of Cosmos was, there was an abundance of children, and it only grew more as the years passed by. 

The children were loud, especially on Halloween. They screamed as they ran across the streets, the difference between a yell of fun and a yell of pain was far too difficult to distinguish from a distance. 

There was only one place in the world where Romelle Amue felt safe on Halloween night. She knew it would sound silly, perhaps even absurd, to the ears of those who were unaware of her past, but she could only find comfort as she hid in a tight ball wedged in the far corner beneath the porch of her house. 

But why is that- so many neighbours asked her that she grew tired of thinking up excuses. The reactions afterwards would all be the same pity and coddling that she drove her to her wits end. 

The spot was the only place on earth where she felt safe on Halloween night for a very simple reason. It was the spot that had saved her life many, many years ago. 

The Zarkon murders was the most notoriously known historical event that had taken place in the town of Cosmos. In the grand scheme of things, it was a relatively young piece of history, but for Romelle, it had consumed more than half of her life. 

When the incident took place she was a fresh-faced eleven year old girl. It was a stormy night, and since playing outside was no proper option for the Amue children, they instead took to an indoor activity: a board game. 

She had two brothers, Avok and Bandor, and they all lived together quite happily with both of their parents. What the Amue children were unaware of, however, was that their parents had had a rather shady past before they had formed a family together. 

Alongside the future notorious murderer Dai Bazaal, the two had been involved in drug dealing crimes that had nearly landed them in hot water. Given the close call, they had opted to forsake their dangerous careers and instead get proper jobs and focus on what really mattered to them; family. 

Around nine years later, Dai Bazaal returned to the town of Cosmos and began his murderous rampage, of which the Amue family became the main event. 

The murders naturally began with the parents, and the commotion was nothing short of a horrific spectacle. The Amue children attempted to make an escape out the back window. First, the brothers helped Romelle make her escape, and ushered her to run for help to the neighbours. 

Unfortunately, neither boy was successful with leaving the room that night. They both met tragic ends alongside their parents. 

With fear fresh in her heart, Romelle had begun to run to the neighbours home but knew that Dai Bazaal was hot on her tracks. She opted to instead hide beneath the porch of the home. 

She wasn’t found until the next morning. 

Her body had been so tensely knit tight in fear that she could hardly move a finger by the time police had arrived to the scene of the crime. 

She was so scared that she couldn’t even cry. At least not at first. Once her mind had adapted to the situation, she could do nothing _but_ cry. 

From age eleven to twenty-two, she continued to go through intense therapy. It was estimated that she would need a few more years, as well. It wasn’t something that could be fixed with yoga and a positive attitude. 

But Romelle did well for herself. She had grown a lot over the years, and her therapy had given her a lot of progress. She didn’t have as many panic attacks as she had a child, and she was able to get through them on her own when she did. 

Halloween, on the other hand, was a different story. It was still a huge trigger for her, and she found herself reverting to her childhood methods of safety each year when the sun began to set on October 31st. 

Beneath the porch was dark, cramped, and wet, but as far as Romelle was concerned, it was the safest corner of the universe. 

Maybe it wasn’t a healthy coping mechanism, she didn’t know. To be honest, it was her little secret that she kept hidden away from as many people as she could, including her own therapist. 

Or, at least, it had been a secret up until that night. 

When she heard footsteps entering the backyard, fallen leaves crunching beneath their boots, she held her breath in fearful anticipation. 

“Uh,” A voice stammered, and Romelle could swear that her heart had stopped beating as well. 

“Romelle Am-Amoo? Am-you? I don’t know how to say it. How do you say it again?” 

A second voice answered, “Amue.” 

Romelle placed a hand over her mouth to stifle her fearful whimpers. 

Who had found her, and what did they want? For ten years she had gone undiscovered on Halloween night, what was so different about this one? 

“Romelle Amue, uh, if you’re here somewhere then we come in peace! We just want to talk!” The first voice began to speak again. 

Romelle felt hot tears forming in the corners of her eyes, her mouth tightly shut beneath the palms of her hands. 

She felt something hairy brush against her forearm, and she tightly shut her eyes in fear, hot tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. Her body shook gently, and she didn’t dare look down. She couldn’t, even if she had wanted to. Her body was frozen- completely locked in place. 

“Sweetie, get back here,” The first voice called out in frustration. “Come on, girl, don’t scare her.” 

Then, there was a soft meow.

Romelle briefly felt herself dropping her guard as she slowly opened her eyes, her vision briefly clouded by the stream of tears. Sitting beside her was a gorgeous white cat with long, flowing fur.

She moved her hands from her face, and allowed the cat to sniff her fingertips. Almost immediately, the cat rubbed it’s cheek along the side of her hand. She smiled as a wave of relief came over her, softly patting the top of the cats head.

“U-Um, d-did you lose your c-cat?” Romelle attempted to speak, her voice stammering out of suppressed fear.

The voices were silent for a moment, possibly whispering amongst themselves, until eventually the second answered. 

“Yeah, her name is Sweetie. Is it okay if we go under there to grab her?” 

Romelle swallowed back, her hand hesitating atop the cats head. 

“H-H-How did you know wh-who I am?” 

The voices were silent for another moment. This time, the first voice spoke. 

“My name is Lance McClain, and this guy here with me is Keith Kogane. I’m sure you’re familiar with that name.” 

“K-K-Keith?” Romelle repeated, scrambling to her knees. She peered out at the two figures from a crack in the porch. 

Amidst the darkness it was difficult to distinguish any notable features of the two, but they were both males on the taller side. 

She was familiar with Keith, naturally, as they had both lost family due to the same massacres. They had briefly even been apart of the same support group following the incident, but they had eventually lost contact shortly after. 

It wasn’t as if they had become friends due to it, but there was always a silent understanding between all of the children effected by the Zarkon Murders. 

“You b-better get under here, b-b-both of you,” Romelle ushered, bringing a single arm out into plain sight, gesturing for them to hurry. After she was met with silence, she added a panicked, “H-Hurry!” 

Keith and Lance glanced at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and then crawled beneath the porch as per Romelle’s command. Sweetie greeted them with soft mews, her paws gently kneading the ground beneath her. 

“What are you doing under here?” Lance asked. 

“Um, I…” Romelle attempted to answer, but found that the words had become lodged in the back of her throat. 

“You don’t have to answer that,” Keith added, to which Romelle smiled graciously. 

“This cat is so beautiful… Y-You said her name is Sweetie?” 

“Yeah,” Lance answered, “She was a stray we took in. I suggested we take her along today to trick or treat but she refuses to wear her costume.” 

“O-Oh, so you’ve been trick or treating?” Romelle asked.

“No,” Keith quickly answered. “Well… Lance has been on the way here, but that’s besides the point.” 

“Do you like licorice?” Lance asked, pulling a small package from his jacket pocket. Romelle hesitantly accepted it. 

“Th-Thanks,” she mumbled, setting it beside herself. “Why are the two of you out then?”

“We wanted to come check up on you, to see how you’re doing.” Lance answered.

“R-Really?” 

“Halloween is a difficult night to handle,” Keith said, “So I get it.” 

“You guys came a-all the way to make sure I’m okay?” 

Lance and Keith both nodded, and Romelle’s face immediately lit up, a deep grin spanning across her face from ear-to-ear. 

“Nobody has ever done that for me before! It was scary at first, not gonna lie, I really thought- Well, you know what I thought! My heart stopped and I was like ‘oh god, oh god, it’s happening, it’s here!’ but then it’s just you guys- and a cat too! I never expected any of this…especially the cat!” 

Lance laughed, “I’m glad it came as a good surprise at least. Sweetie seems to have taken a real liking to you.” 

“She’s such a sweetie- oh, hey! I get it! That’s why you called her Sweetie!” 

Lance held back another laugh, amused by Romelle’s antics. For a girl in hiding, she was certainly loud, though perhaps it was because she felt comfortable in the presence of the two boys. 

“So how do the two of you know each other?” Romelle asked, “I’ve met Keith before, obviously, but uhm, Lance, was it? I don’t think we’ve ever met.” 

“No, we haven’t! Keith and I were childhood friends, and now we’re going steady with each other.” 

“Oh! Isn’t that sweet? Going steady! How cute! I’ve only heard that term used in old movies!” 

“Yeah, we’re cute and vintage like that,” Lance snickered with a cocky smirk, “Ain’t that right, babe?” 

Keith rolled his eyes, a faint smile upon his lips. “You’re a dork.” 

“Oh! Banter! This is cute!” Romelle commented in a squeaky tone. 

Lance soaked the attention in, but Keith quickly found himself getting flustered so he changed the topic. 

“Do you stay down here just for Halloween? Or is it something you regularly do?” 

Romelle’s excited mood quickly flamed out, and she placed her hands at her sides, her back slumped against the side of the house. 

“Only Halloween night,” she answered honestly, “I can handle every other night but when it comes to Halloween… I just can’t do it.” 

“I get it. My family used to be really into Halloween until _then._ We were kind of a gothic family, we adored spooky stuff. But now Taka and I can’t stomach it. We never celebrate Halloween.” 

“Me neither,” Romelle said, bringing her knees close to her chest, “I know it’s all just for fun but seeing all that fake blood and some of the decorations are just so realistic… and the movies… and the screaming…” 

“And this is the only spot in the world where you feel like you can get away from it?” Lance asked, “It makes sense.” 

Romelle nodded her head, smiling quietly in relief that she received no judgment for her reasoning. 

Though Lance risked sounding redundant, he couldn’t help but think that the case of Romelle Amue was a rather unusual one.

 **Assignment 4/20**  
**The Heart of Romelle Amue**

A photo of the girl was beneath the title, although it was a slightly outdated picture from her school years.

 **Assignment:** Repair the broken heart of Romelle.  
**Difficulty Level:** Easy  
**Location of Client:** Beneath the back porch at 300 Pollux Street.  
**Notes:**  
-This heart must be healed between the hours of 6pm-12am on the night of October 31st. 

Keith had immediately recognized the name, but Lance wasn’t familiar with it until Keith explained the situation. 

All of the underage surviving children of the victims of the Zarkon murders had been left unnamed in the newspaper articles by law in order to protect their identities. That had included both Keith and Romelle at the time, as well as Allura, but it didn’t extend to Takashi who had been twenty at the time. 

Granted that it was a small town and people talked (boy, did they ever talk), frivolous topics like relationship drama could last for months, but something was different when it came to the Zarkon murders. It was like people had become too afraid to even discuss it, as if speaking of Dai Bazaal’s crimes would summon him on the spot.

As a result, Lance was not familiar with Romelle’s name until Keith, having grown slightly pale upon seeing her name on the newest assignment, had informed him. 

Lance knew well from experience with Keith over the years that the trauma from the incident wasn’t something easily dealt with, and that there was no instant fix for such a broken heart. What truly baffled him, however, was the limited time period. No other assignment had included such a specific time and location. It made things sound easier but somehow left him feeling more uneasy instead. 

What would happen if Lance didn’t heal Romelle’s heart during the limited time period? Would he fail the entire trial? Would he be assigned another heart in its place? He didn’t know enough to take any major risks. He had to follow the guidelines precisely and pray that by the end of the night Romelle would have a healed heart. 

“Sweetie, you’re such a pretty girl,” Romelle cooed as she scratched beneath the cats chin. Sweetie extended her neck outwards, her chest held high, and her cheeks puffed out, as she happily accepted the gesture. 

“Do you like cats?” Lance asked, watching curiously with a smile. 

Romelle nodded her head, “Yes! They’re so tiny and sweet, they’re just the cutest little things.”

“Right?! Keith doesn’t get it, he’s such a dog person.” Lance said, shaking his head. 

“I don’t mind cats.” Keith mumbled, “Besides, Sweetie has grown on me.” 

“She seems so comfortable around the two of you, have you had her for long?” Romelle asked.

Lance shook his head, “It’s been two weeks maybe?” 

“Wow!” Romelle exclaimed, “You must really treat her well, then!”

"She was living in a tree base before, all by herself, and she seemed pretty scared of people," Lance explained, "I guess she just needed someone to come along and show her what it's like to live in a house with company."

"Poor little thing... Good thing you have a warm home just in time for winter." Romelle mumbled, now pulling Sweetie to her chest. She pressed her cheek against the side of Sweetie's face, holding her closely. The cat raised her paw defensively, causing Lance and Keith to both tense and prepare to lurch forward, but the cat didn't end up swatting her paw. After a moment of coddling the pet, Romelle set her down and allowed her to stretch her legs out.

Just then, there was a knock at the front door of the house, audible even from beneath the porch in the back yard. After a moment of silence followed, the knocks persisted, now more rapidly eager.

Romelle's face became pale in complexion, the colour resembling a blank piece of paper. Her mouth remained agape, but not a sound dared to escape. She covered her ears with her hands, her fingers curled around the tips of her ears, clumps of her hair forming tightly between the gaps.

"It's probably just some kids," Lance whispered, the sound of his voice causing Romelle to widen her eyes and shake her head rapidly, ushering for him to quickly become quiet.

Lance bit down on the inside of his lip, sharing a look of concern with Keith. In response, Keith gently tapped against the side of his wrist, as if gesturing a wrist-watch, to imply to Lance that they should patiently wait it out.

"It's fine," Lance continued to whisper regardless, "It's just some kids, I'll go prove it so you don't have to worry."

Lance turned on his hands and knees, beginning to crawl out from beneath the porch, when a sudden force stopped him, and began to pull him back. In a panic, Romelle had grabbed onto one of his legs, and held onto it for dear life as she prevented him from exiting the safety of the porch. The more he wiggled to break free, the tighter her grip became, and so, he quickly gave up on trying to move. He had noted that, by then, silent tears were beginning to pour down Romelle's reddened cheeks.

Lance inched back into the space beneath the porch, and twisted his body around so that he was sitting once more, managing to shake loose from Romelle's grip in the process. He couldn't really explain why he did what he did next, but he had leaned inward, and embraced the girl tightly. He knew he should've asked first, that he should respect her boundaries while she was in a panicked state, but something about the look on her face had told him that he needed to hug her and so he did. The gesture was immediately returned, Romelle not shying away from showing her strength as she gripped, with all of the force she could, onto the back of Lance's shirt.

And then it occurred to Lance, and perhaps it was just a theory that he could be wrong about, but a feeling inside told him that it was a correct assumption. It was the first time that Romelle had company beneath the porch of her house, in all those long years since the Zarkon murders, and what's more was that Keith and Lance were both boys, roughly around the ages that Romelle's own brothers would have been had they survived the attacks. Her protective instincts were at an all time high, and there was no way she would let either of them leave her side until she was sure that the coast was clear.

Maybe it was just a trick-or-treater at the door, and it was likely that Romelle knew it just as well, but it didn't matter. As long as the boys were there in hiding with her, they were under her tight watch.

"I'm sorry," Lance whispered, rubbing the back of Romelle's back with his hand soothingly, "I'm not going anywhere."

He worried then that the gesture may have been inappropriate to perform in front of his non-official boyfriend, even if his intentions were purely platonic. Brief eye contact with Keith had told Lance that this wasn't true, however. On the contrary, Keith's expression was on the lighter side, and he seemed touched by Lance's comforting nature.

When small voices from the house began to call out, "Trick-or-treat, trick-or-treat!", Lance could feel Romelle's grip on his back easing. Though she had known that there was a slim chance of any real danger, she still felt relief knowing for certain that it was only a set of harmless children.

"Th-They'll go away after a minute..." Romelle explained, wiping the corners of her eyes as she let go of Lance, returning to her position slumped against the side of the house in the meantime. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.... g-get so..." her voice trailed off, but Keith and Lance both knew what she meant.

"No, don't be, I'm the one who's sorry," Lance replied, "I should've stayed put until we knew for sure."

"Are you okay?" Keith asked Romelle, to which she nodded her head.

"I'm fine, y-yeah," she answered.

Lance knew then what exactly the limited time period of healing Romelle's heart entailed, and why it was considered easy. He didn't have to heal her life-long traumas, or change her life forever, he just had to sit with her for a couple of hours, and keep her company on what she considered the most difficult night of the year. If that meant just being quiet and sitting around until midnight, then he could easily do it, especially if it meant that he was making the night a little more bearable for her.

"Don't worry, we won't be going anywhere. We're all yours for the night, Romelle." Lance stated with a confident thumbs up.

Romelle sniffled, but smiled, returning the thumbs up with both of her thumbs.

From that point on, the rest of the night had gone by so quickly that it had become easy for all three to temporarily forget where they were. They spoke about many things, ranging from mundane topics to serious ones. One topic that had lasted a long time in particular had been one of family. Surprisingly, Romelle didn't seem to mind. She talked about her own family in great detail. She explained what life was like while they were alive, and how they had been a rather eccentric family so there was never a dull moment. She still had living grandparents that had taken over the Amue household after her parents and brothers had died, and they had been raising her ever since.

Life with her grandparents was swell, she assured them, and one day, she would return the favour and take care of them as they grew too old to do it themselves. Though, luckily for her, they remained alert and agile, and didn't seem like they would be needing her care any time soon.

Then, Romelle asked to hear about Lance and Keith's families. She had met Takashi briefly a few times when he took Keith to the support groups, but she didn't know much about him otherwise. Keith explained that Takashi had become his guardian after the death of their father, but that Adam had come along only a few years later and had more or less taken on the role of his second guardian. He didn't have much family he knew otherwise, he explained, but Adam's mother often treated Keith as if he were her grandson, so in a way, he felt that he still had a grandparent even if he technically didn't.

Lance's explanation of his family took much longer. He had grandparents, a mother and father, two older brothers, an older sister, and a twin sister, not to mention his niece and nephew. His family had always been loud and though it was sometimes a lot to handle, he still loved them very much and hoped that they were still doing well. Romelle didn't quite understand the reason that Lance didn't see his family anymore, or rather, why he _couldn't_ , but she didn't pursue the topic any further than what seemed necessary. There was something of a forlorn expression on Lance's face as he spoke of them, and she didn't want to sadden him any more.

After that, the topic had changed a few times. It went on for hours and hours. By the end of the night, it had almost felt as if they had known Romelle for years already.

And then, when the bell tolled midnight, a faint blue glow began to emit from Romelle's chest, and in it's center was a sparkling pink heart.

"What's this?" Romelle asked, a perplexed expression on her face.

"It's your heart," Lance explained, "How do you feel?"

Although commonly such an explanation would mean nothing and only be cause for more questions, somehow Romelle found herself put at ease, "Good," she replied, "This has been a really nice night. Thank you both, I really mean that."

The sparkling heart then burst into a pile of confetti, and Sweetie played with it as it came floating down to the ground. The note emerging from the confetti said this:

**A heart broken for a single night is still a heart worth healing.**

Congratulations, Lance McClain. You have completed your assignment.

The heart of Romelle Amue is healing.

**Sixteen Hearts Remain.**


	9. The Heart of Katie "Pidge" Holt

Alone, Lance stood in his bedroom. 

Surrounding him were sheets of paper spread across the floor, the contents of which he was unsure. Maybe they were the pages of his heavenly contract, maybe they weren’t. He didn’t really know. How they even got on the floor in the first place was beyond him, but he didn’t give it much thought. 

Keith entered the room, tip-toeing over the fallen papers, but Lance didn’t bother to look back. Moments later, he felt Keith’s arms wrapping around him from behind. 

“Good morning, Lance,” Keith hummed, his breath warm against the back of Lance’s neck.

“Morning, babe,” Lance replied, gently placing a hand atop Keith’s.

“I’ve been thinking lately, and…” Keith twirled Lance around by the waist until the two were face to face, “Why don’t we take things to the next level?” 

“Huh? Next level?” Lance raised his eyebrows, “You mean like… dating for real?” 

The corners of Keith’s lips curled into a smile both playful and suggestive, his index finger twirling around Lance’s shoulder in a circular motion as he spoke. “Maybe even more than that.” 

Lance’s eyes widened, sweat beginning to form at the nape of his neck as he swallowed back in nervous anticipation. “M-More..? Like...?” 

“You know…” Keith’s voice stayed low, and his eye contact with Lance was unwavering. “We’re both adults. It’s only natural, right?” 

“Uh…” The beads of sweat at the back of Lance’s neck began to flow downward in a steady stream. “Are you alright, Keith? You’re acting kind of…”

“Kind of?” 

“I don’t know… more uh, straight forward?” 

Keith pouted, “Is that such a bad thing?” 

“No! Of course not! I’m just not used to it.” 

With a sigh, Keith resumed twirling his finger against Lance, “I just love you so much that my heart could burst.” 

“Yeah..?” Lance paused, wondering when the last time he’d heard Keith say something so lovey was- or had he never before? He wasn’t sure. Regardless, he finally felt free to say something that he hadn’t been able to say for some time, “I love you, too.” 

The two leaned inward on the same beat, their lips lingering only inches apart. Lance swore he could feel the soft brushing of Keith’s lips against his before the sound of an opening door caused them to pull apart. 

Entering the room was a girl practically identical to Lance, with few differences- specifically in hairstyle and body type, but otherwise the resemblance was uncanny. And of course it was, why wouldn’t it be? She was Lance’s own twin sister, after all. 

“Keep it in your pants, both of you.” Rachel immediately teased, wasting no time.

A part of Lance didn’t feel surprised by Rachel’s sudden appearance, despite knowing deep down that he should be. 

“Rachel, what are you doing here?” Lance asked. 

Rachel instead ignored Lance’s question and smirked as she nudged her head in Keith’s direction, “So this is the guy you’ve been seeing, huh?” 

Remaining clingy at his side, Keith tightened his grip on Lance, not particularly paying attention to what was going on. 

“Uh, yeah,” Lance answered, “We’ve been going steady… until just now, I guess.” 

“Groooooooss,” Rachel groaned in an exaggerated tone. “I don’t wanna hear about it. I just came in to tell you to hurry up and get out here. Mom made garlic knots and they’re going quick.” 

“Mom did..?” Lance repeated, blinking several times. Something felt off. 

Rachel smiled softly, and nodded her head, her brown curls bouncing gently as she did so. “Everyone is waiting for you, Lance. You better hurry.” 

With that, Rachel had seemingly disappeared from the room just as quickly as she had shown up. Despite keeping his eyes glued to the door, Lance had not seen her leave, and yet she was gone. 

Lance took a hypnotic step forward, but a force was pulling him back before he could get any further. 

“Lance,” A voice called to him. Keith’s voice. 

Lance didn’t turn around. He attempted to walk again, but Keith’s grip was tight. 

“Lance,” he called again, his voice more firm this time. 

“Huh?” Lance grumbled. 

An uncontrollable shaking began to take over Lance’s body and he wondered briefly if he was having a seizure, or a panic attack, or perhaps something much worse. 

“Lance!” Keith’s voice had become loud enough to bring Lance back to consciousness. 

As he opened his eyes, Lance realized that he was still sleeping in his bed, and the events of his dream began to quickly slip his mind. 

“Where’d Rachel go..?” Lance mumbled, his eyes squinting against the bright sunlight. 

“It’s almost eleven,” Keith answered curtly. “You’ve been sleeping like a rock all morning.” 

Lance slowly began to sit up, lazily brushing a hand through his messy tufts of hair as he did so. “Oh, so I was just dreaming.” 

“What did you dream about?” Keith asked. 

“I…” Lance paused, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, “I can’t really remember. I feel like you were in it, though.” 

Keith smiled in amusement, “It better have been PG.” 

His eyebrows raised, Lance remained quiet as he felt like he had been reminded of a small portion of his dream. But what was it exactly? Something about Keith’s vague smirk gave him a reminiscent feeling.

“Oh my God,” Keith mumbled at Lance’s silence. “Okay, nevermind, I don’t want to hear it.” 

“Woah, woah, woah, wait,” Lance quickly replied, “Oh come on, Keith, it’s only natural! Those were your words, not mine!” 

Keith rolled his eyes, “Creepy dreams aside, you really need to get up so that we can get started on this next heart.”

“Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, babe, for real.” Lance said as he slipped out from beneath the covers. He stretched his arms above his head, while sliding his feet into his slippers. “Sorry.” 

“It’s fine,” Keith mumbled, “I figure that’s probably something that you’re itching to do.”

“Well, yeah, but,” Lance figured that there was no sense in lying, “It’s not like I’m thinking about it all the time so it’s like, no rush, y’know? Take it slow and breezy.” 

“Are you sure?” Keith asked.

Lance nodded, sliding an arm around Keith’s back. “I’m happy no matter what we’re doing.” 

His words seemed to win Keith over, despite the cheesy nature. He leaned inward and pressed his lips against Lance’s in a brief but warm morning’s kiss. As they pulled apart, his rested his forehead against his, the tips of their noses gently rubbing together. 

“Stop sleeping in so much,” Keith grumbled. Lance laughed. 

“I promise I’ll stop,” he replied. “Today’s heart is supposed to be easy anyway, right? I’ll just get dressed and then we’ll head over.” 

“It’s medium, Lance. Don’t forget how difficult that can be.” 

“Yeah but it’s _Pidge._ I’ve known her forever. It’ll be easy.” 

It was true. The latest heart had belonged to a mutual childhood friend of the two, Katie Holt. 

**Assignment 5/20  
The Heart of Katie “Pidge” Holt**

A blurred photo was beneath the title, but Lance didn’t need to see the photograph to know that it was undoubtedly his friend. 

**Assignment:** Repair the broken heart of Katie.  
**Difficulty Level:** Medium  
**Location of Client:** 1010 Arus Drive  
**Notes:**  
-Nothing to be noted.

“Why do you think Pidge might have a broken heart?” Keith asked. 

“She obviously misses her old pal Lance, duhhh.” Lance replied, beginning to lay out his clothing of choice for the day. 

Keith rolled his eyes and shook his head. “No, seriously.” 

“Honestly? I have no idea. I haven’t seen Pidge since I was alive. I don’t even know what she’s up to these days.” 

“Hunk said she was in a school out of town but I guess she must be on a break or something right now if she’s on Arus Drive.” Keith replied. “Maybe something happened there.” 

“At school?” Lance questioned. “That’s possible. Maybe she dropped out or something.” 

As Lance began to change his clothing, the two continued to exchange various theories of what type of heart break they could be dealing with. Ultimately, finding a satisfying conclusion proved to be difficult, as neither had spoken to Pidge recently enough to know what could be going on in her life currently. So, they decided, rather simply, that they would just have to see what was going on once they arrived to her house. It wasn’t a strategic plan by any means, but it was all that they could work with. 

As soon as Lance finished changing, and the two had prepared Sweetie’s food and water tins for the day, they set foot outside, and made their way to the familiar little family home on Arus Drive. 

Lance had always been envious, to a degree, of Pidge’s home. Despite the small size of her family; a mother, father, brother, herself, and a pet dog, their home was bigger than the home that Lance came from, even though his family was much larger. The Holts weren’t necessarily rich, but with a family full of technologically intelligent people, they never had to worry about where their next meal would come from, or whether they could afford to pay their bills or not. Lance’s family was never afforded such a luxury, so in his eyes, Pidge may as well have been born into royalty, or more drastically, the Kardashians. Okay. Maybe not. 

Lance had to force himself to think along different lines. If he only let his mind be consumed with thoughts of Pidge’s many privileges in life, then his desire to help her may ease into a depressed jealousy instead, and the last thing he wanted to do was leave a friend heartbroken, and subsequently go to hell as a result, naturally. 

Keith held his hand as they made their way down the empty streets. His body felt warm amidst the chills of the early November air, and it brought a calmness to Lance that he was sure could take partial credit for how at ease his mind was beginning to feel. It served only as the sweetest of reminders that he wasn’t fighting any battles alone. He had Keith, always Keith, to be beside him, to guide him, to calm him, and to inspire him. 

_If only we weren’t taking things so slowly,_ Lance could feel a pang of guilt as he thought to himself, _I wish I could call you my boyfriend at least._

But, at the end of the day, Lance would wait for Keith for as long as it would take. And then, only when Keith was ready to do so, he would proudly introduce him to the world as the boy that owned his full heart and nothing less. _One day._

Pidge’s house soon came into view, and Lance’s thoughts were changed once more. Keith gave him a quick glance, as if to ask if he was ready, and Lance gave a firm nod in return. The two unlinked hands slowly, each finger lingering longer than the last, until finally they arrived to the front door bare-handed.

Lance began to knock. 

“I wonder if she’ll be excited to see us,” Lance speculated. 

Keith responded simply, “I doubt it.” 

After a moment, Lance knocked again. 

“Can we even be sure that she’s home today?” Keith asked.

“It’s what the paper says,” Lance replied. 

Another moment passed, and Lance knocked again, this time more aggressively. 

“I think I see movement inside,” Keith commented, urging Lance to peer beyond the glass window and into the household. 

It was dark inside, so it was difficult to distinguish, but there was undeniably somebody inside, moving around slowly and carefully, to avoid attracting too much attention. 

“Shit,” Lance murmured, “We’re purposely getting ignored. Harsh.” 

There was no way that the figure inside could belong to Pidge’s older brother, Matt, or her father. They were tall men with thicker builds, whereas Pidge and her mother were on the petite side of the scale. A hunch told Lance that it was Pidge without a trace of doubt in his mind, and for whatever reason, she didn’t want to open the door to Lance and Keith. 

Lance groaned aloud and began to thump his fists against the door with forceful purpose. 

“I know you’re in there, Pidge!” He shouted, not caring who else may hear him. “You should know better than to ignore me! It’s not possible! I’m like a patch of dry skin in winter!” 

Keith didn’t bother trying to stop Lance- he knew better by then. There was a part of him, too, that was undeniably curious about what the situation with Pidge was. 

Sure, Pidge could be sarcastic at times, and her humour could come across as cruel, pushing the line between funny and offensive, but she didn’t hate her friends, and blatantly ignoring them felt uncharacteristic even for her.

The figure inside began moving, before ultimately disappearing into a back room. Lance cupped the corners of his eyes, pressing his face as close against the glass as he could physically manage, and peered inside, watching each movement intently. 

“You know what, Keith?” Lance said, his volume still much too loud, “Let’s just go home.” 

“What’re you talking about?” Keith said, but he received no answer. 

Instead, Lance took hold of his hand, and led him off the porch and down the walkway. Once they had reached the garage, Lance quickly turned, and pulled Keith with him. Before Keith could ask any more questions, Lance pressed a finger over his lips, motioning for him to remain quiet. Again, Keith knew better than to question, and instead slumped his shoulders as he succumbed to fate. 

A Lance plan could be an amazing or disastrous thing, Keith had learned, and he had no way of telling which one it would be. 

After a moment or two had passed, there were a sequence of noises coming from the backyard. 

Lance’s grip on Keith’s hand tightened as he tip-toed across the front of the garage, careful so as to not make even the quietest of sounds as he moved. He didn’t stop until the two reached a gate at the corner of the house, one that blocked off access to the backyard. 

“You can’t be serious,” Keith mumbled beneath his breath. 

“I am, actually,” Lance smirked, “I used to do this all the time when we were kids. It’s fine. It’ll be like old times sake.” 

Gripping the top of the fence with his hands, Lance hoisted himself up, attempting to find a good footing on one of the horizontally placed planks of wood. He struggled for a moment, his hands baring the brunt of his weight in the meantime. He grunted quietly in his attempts to stay quiet, but couldn’t keep himself up for much longer. 

The gate began to waver beneath his weight, years of maintenance neglect causing it to weaken, but before Lance could lower himself, he heard a deafening crack, and then, the next thing he knew, the gate had swung open and came crashing down, with him at the base of the mess. 

Pidge was in the backyard, only then taking notice of the breaking and entering occurring just a few feet away from her. Her eyes were widened beneath the thick rims of her glasses, and she quickly stormed over. 

“Hey, Pidge,” Lance grumbled beneath the rubble of what was formerly a gate. 

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Pidge was quick to become angered. “Can’t you take a hint and just **leave me alone?!** ”

“He was worried about you,” Keith stepped in, leaning down to offer Lance a hand up. 

“So you enabled this! I expect better from you, Keith. You of all people should know that sometimes people just want to be left alone.” 

By then, Lance was standing on his feet again. He dusted bits of wood chips from his jacket, and tried to ignore the beating pain in his head. He hadn’t hit it or anything, or at least, he didn’t think that he did, but either way, the fall hadn’t been a pleasant one, and was leaving his body sore as a result. 

“Come on, don’t be mad.” Lance pleaded, “I missed you, Pidge. I haven’t seen you in forever, and the first thing you do is ignore me? We’re friends so yeah, that kinda hurts.” 

Pidge remained quiet for a moment, deep in thought. She was carefully deciding what she wanted to say next, and only then, Lance noticed, was it becoming clear how red her eyes were. Beneath her eyes, were deep, dark bags that harshly contrasted with her otherwise pale complexion. 

“Are you okay?” Lance asked, no longer waiting for her response. 

“I’m fine.” She replied bluntly. 

“No,” Keith cut in, quietly, “You’re not.”

His gaze wasn’t focused on Pidge herself, however, and Lance quickly took note of it. He followed Keith’s line of vision, that spanned towards the further corners of the backyard. There he could see a large box, a shovel, and the beginnings of a small, shallow hole dug into the ground. Lance swallowed back. He was no Sherlock Holmes but even he could deduce what was happening. 

“Bae Bae died?” Lance asked quietly. 

Pidge didn’t respond, and instead burst into a fit of tears. She covered her eyes with her hands and slumped down to her knees. 

“Pidge, I’m so sorry,” Lance mumbled, kneeling down to her level. And then, again, he noted that something else didn’t feel quite right. “Are you… by yourself? Where’s your family?” 

“They’re all too busy!” Pidge bellowed, “Matt is in school, and my mom and dad are out of town, and none of them will answer my texts or calls! They knew he was sick, and still… They…. They won’t answer!” 

“Hey, me and Keith are here now. We’ll help you out. You don’t have to do this on your own.” Lance reached forward, placing a hand on Pidge’s shoulder. “Alright?” 

Pidge sniffled quietly, and nodded her head while adjusting her glasses. As much as she wanted to deny the help, or crack a joke at Lance’s expense as per usual, she instead took a deep breath and accepted. 

The two stood, and then all three made their way to the backyard where they were confronted by the cold reality of the situation. Lance grabbed the discarded shovel, while Keith found a second one, and they allowed Pidge to sit for a moment and collect her thoughts while they deepened the shallow-ended hole. 

It took some time to complete a properly sized grave, for the ground was beginning to harden in preparation for the oncoming winter season. But, despite the blisters and calluses it would surely give them, Lance and Keith continued to dig until they were able to comfortably fit Bae Bae’s box inside. They carefully lowered it down, depending heavily on each other’s strength and timing to ensure that they didn’t lose their grip. 

In the meantime, Pidge collected a bundle of flowers, handing one to Lance and Keith, and then she tossed the rest into the grave, sniffling quietly as she did so. 

“Do you wanna say anything?” Lance asked quietly, but Pidge shook her head, knowing she was still too emotionally vulnerable to speak without sobbing her way through each word. 

“If you don’t mind, I’ll say a couple of things,” Lance said, and Pidge nodded her head, motioning for him to go ahead. 

“The first time I met Bae Bae, was when you first got him, when we were all… six or seven? Anyway, he scared the crap out of me right off the hop. I’d never really met a dog before, so he was like some big, scary beast to me. And Pidge, you were so tiny, I was scared to death that he was going to swallow you whole! But then, one day, when we were playing basketball in your driveway, the ball rolled out into the street and you ran after it. But before you could reach the street, Bae Bae had grabbed you by your collar and pulled you back, just as a car zoomed by. I thought that was pretty dope. I mean- the dog was dope, not you almost getting hit by a car. I mean, come on. He was a straight up super hero dog right then and there, and I thought to myself, ‘Scooby-Doo wishes he was half as cool as this guy,’” 

Pidge and Keith laughed quietly, and Lance continued to speak. 

“I know losing him is tough, he’s like a sibling by now with how long you guys have lived together. I really am sorry, Pidge. If it’s any consolation, you gave him the best life that you possibly could have. He’s leaving this earth without any regrets, and that’s thanks to you.” 

Pidge wiped the corners of her eyes, and then, without giving it much thought, wrapped her arms around Lance tightly, beginning to sob into the front of his shirt. Lance returned the hug, and allowed her to take all of the time that she needed. 

After a moment, she loosened her grip and wiped her eyes once again, “Thanks, Lance.” 

“No problem,” Lance replied, rubbing her shoulder with his hand. 

And so, the burial began. Lance and Keith tossed their flowers into the grave before beginning to return the soil to the earth, the box quickly becoming covered beneath it. Pidge watched on, silent tears running down her cheeks until finally, the grave was filled. 

The shovels were returned to their spot in the shed, and then Pidge invited Lance and Keith inside to warm up. It wasn’t until her offer that the two realized how cold their fingertips had become, and so, they were in no place to refuse. 

Pidge’s house was just as clean, and large on the inside as Lance remembered it being. It was ominously silent, though that was likely just due to Lance being used to a household full of noise. Even the silence in his temporary schoolhouse home felt too spooky for his taste. 

They removed their shoes at the door, and followed Pidge into the living room. She excused herself almost immediately, leaving the room to go make warm beverages. 

“I’m still cold,” Lance grumbled, and Keith laughed. 

“It’s not even winter yet, Lance.”

“I know, I hate it. I’m not made for it.” 

Keith picked up Lance’s hands, and cupped them in his own. He made a small hole at the entrance where his hands met, and then began to blow warm air inside, coating Lance’s hands with pleasant heat.

“Ahhh, much better,” Lance sighed. 

“Why do you think her heart isn’t healed yet? Is there more to it?” Keith asked, blowing air onto Lance’s hands between sentences. 

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see, I’m guessing she’s still pretty upset. Maybe she just needs some company like Romelle did.” 

“Makes sense.” 

Soon enough, Pidge returned to the living room with a tea tray in her hands. She positioned a cup in front of each person and began to pour tea into each cup silently. Lance grabbed a handful of sugar cubes and tossed them into his drink, stirring it rapidly with one of the small spoons provided. Keith and Pidge both gave him a look, but he didn’t notice. 

“So what’s going on with your family?” Lance decided to ask, tackling the issue head-on. “It’s not like them to ignore you, is it?” 

“I don’t know,” Pidge answered. “Usually at least one person replies, but today nobody has.” 

“Hopefully somebody will call back soon, at least.” 

“The worst of it is over, anyway,” Pidge grumbled, “Having to see that happen on my own was…” Her voice trailed off mid-sentence, but the direction in which her words were heading was clear. 

“I’m sorry,” Lance said again, “Do you wanna play a video game or something? To get your mind off of things.” 

Pidge smiled meekly, “Yeah, sure. Totally defeating the two of you does sound fun.” 

“Ooooh, someone’s confident! We’ll see about that!”

* * *

It was sometime during a video game battle, when Pidge and Keith became so absorbed in what they were doing that they noticed hardly anything else going on, that Lance decided to sneak away for a moment. He even walked right out the front door without being noticed, much to his own surprise. Usually the two were more observant, but the game had reached an intense point, which made for the perfect unnoticed escape on Lance’s part. 

Without giving it much thought, Lance took Pidge’s bicycle, which had been discarded on the front lawn, and began to take it for a ride down the street. He had a clear destination in mind- he was heading for the heart of town, which was luckily not far from where Pidge lived. 

He found an unusual hole in Pidge’s story, an error quite glaring for a genius such as herself. It was her statement about Matt being at school. 

Matt went to a university in the city, and commuted each day via train. None of that mattered at the present time, however, because it was a Sunday. And there was only one other place where Lance could picture Matt being on a Sunday.

The library. 

The journey wasn’t a long one, and as Lance pulled in to the parking lot, securing Pidge’s bicycle on the rack outside, he could already see Matt studying at a table through the window. He hurried inside, beelining straight to his table. 

Matt looked up almost immediately, his eyes widening at the sight. 

“Lance? Oh my God! I mean, I heard the rumour but I still can’t believe it- It’s really you!” he exclaimed, standing from his seat in a shock. 

“Yeah, back from the grave, not looking a day undead,” Lance replied, “Are you busy right now, or?” 

Matt furrowed his eyebrows, detecting a serious urgency within Lance’s tone, “No, I’m not. What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“Pack your stuff up, and come with me. I’ll explain on the way over to your house.” 

Matt did as Lance instructed, slipping his books back into his bag before slinging it over his shoulder. He followed Lance outside, where he retrieved the bicycle and hopped on. 

“Can you stand on the pegs?” Lance asked, “It’ll be quicker if we ride together.” 

“Sure,” Matt agreed, stepping onto the pegs as Lance began to pedal the bike down the street. 

“I feel like I kind of know what’s going on.” Matt said.

“Yeah?” 

“It’s about Bae Bae, isn’t it?” 

“Has Pidge called or texted you?” 

“No, not a single message at all. Did she say that she did?” 

“Yeah.” 

“She’s always been like that,” Matt said with a sigh, “Always opting to suffer silently on her own rather than seek solace in her family or friends.” 

“Yeah, Keith and I had to barge our way in there today.” 

“You were with her?” 

Lance nodded. “We helped her bury him in the yard. It would’ve been way too much work on her own.” 

“I… I shouldn’t have gone out today.”

Lance could hear a sniffle coming from behind, but he didn’t dare look back. He focused only on the path ahead of him, until finally, they had returned to the Holt household. Matt hopped off the pegs of the bicycle almost immediately, and ran up the walkway, all but bursting down the door as he entered the house. Lance followed shortly behind. 

Pidge and Keith had since stopped playing video games, the former of the two freezing in place when she caught sight of her older brother. Matt hurried toward her, and pulled her into a tight hug, both beginning to sob almost immediately. 

“Pidge, I’m so sorry, I should’ve been here with you.” Matt mumbled between sobs. 

Pidge didn’t reply.

Keith moved from his spot on the couch and approached Lance. 

“Where were you?” he asked. 

“I was looking for Matt at the library,” Lance answered. “Pidge’s story didn’t add up. Why would he be at school on a Sunday?” 

“It is possible, but not common, I guess,” Keith said. “It was nice of you to go fetch him.” 

Lance smiled meekly. “I just figured now’s more the time for her to be around family.” 

Pulling away from the hug, Matt wiped Pidge’s tears away with the thumbs of his hands. “Can you take me to where you buried him?”

Pidge didn’t reply. Instead, she led Matt off through the back door and into the yard. He stood by Bae Bae’s grave for some time in silent reflection, his arm delicately placed around the shoulder of his much smaller sister. Neither spoke, but the silence was somehow very thoughtful. Keith and Lance kept a respectful distance, sitting on the back deck with their pinky fingers snuggly locked together. 

“Do you think I’ve done enough?” Lance asked, “I just… I don’t know. It’s not like I can bring Bae Bae back for them. This is something that’s gonna take a long time to heal.” 

“That’s true but you’ve still done everything within your power.” Keith replied. 

“Yeah, but…” 

“No buts about it, you’ve been a really good friend today.” 

Lance smiled lightly. “I wish I could kiss you for saying that.” 

“I’ll accept a rain check, you know.” 

“Good, I’ll cash that in soon.” Lance said, laughing lightly. 

Moments later, Pidge and Matt returned to the house, stopping when they were only a few steps away from the boys. 

“I just wanna thank you guys for taking care of Pidge today, it really means a lot that somebody was here for her, and for Bae Bae too, of course.” Matt said. He extended his hand, shaking both Lance and Keith’s hands with gratitude. 

“It’s no problem,” Lance replied, “You guys are all like a second family.”

Pidge smiled as well, and sheepishly adjusted her glasses. “I’m sorry for being rude earlier, and for ignoring you guys. I thought I wanted to be left alone but… It was nice not burdening this by myself.”

“Anytime,” Keith said. 

“Never be scared to ask for company, that’s what friends and family are for.” Lance said, teasingly ruffling Pidge’s hair with his hand. 

What happened next was the most shocking occurrence of Lance’s trial yet. 

A double ping.

In front of both Pidge’s and Matt’s chests were glowing blue lights, and in the center of each, a small pink heart. 

As per usual, the hearts burst into a pile of confetti upon touch, and among each, a new message written on a small piece of white paper was attached. 

The first read:

**A heart that cries alone may be the saddest broken heart of them all.**

Congratulations, Lance McClain. You have completed your assignment.

The heart of Katie “Pidge” Holt is healing.

**Fifteen Hearts Remain.**

The second read:

 **Knowing that the ones we love are taken care of can heal a heart that we didn’t know was broken.**

Bonus heart! Congratulations Lance you have healed the additional heart of Matthew Holt!

**Fourteen Hearts Remain.**


End file.
